Objective: To test the efficacy of antegrade scrotal sclerotherapy (ASS) for the treatment of varicocele in teenagers.
Patients and methods: The study included 38 patients (mean age 14.9 years, range 12-18) with left-sided varicocele. Three patients had a grade 1 varicocele, 22 were grade 2 and 13 were grade 3. ASS was performed under local anaesthesia on an out-patient basis.
Results: ASS was accepted by all patients except one. There were no peri-operative problems and only one patient developed post-operative epididymitis. During 9 to 15 months of follow-up (mean 11 months), only two patients developed persistence of a lower grade of varicocele.
Conclusion: This study illustrates that ASS is a safe and successful out-patient procedure for the treatment of varicocele in teenagers.