What are the symptoms of varicocele?

Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
Updated on September 19, 2024
00:00
00:00

If the patient has mild varicocele, they often have no symptoms and it is not easily detected; in such cases, no special treatment is needed. However, with moderate or severe varicocele, the patient may experience a dragging pain in the testicles, especially after intense physical activity, prolonged sitting, or standing, which makes the pain more pronounced. During a physical examination, twisted, worm-like clusters of veins can be felt within the scrotum.

Patients with varicocele should undergo further routine semen analysis to assess if the semen quality is affected. If sperm quality is impacted, it could lead to a decline in male fertility, and surgical treatment should be considered when necessary.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
50sec home-news-image

Can people with varicose veins in the lower extremities drink alcohol?

The majority of patients with varicose veins in the lower limbs can drink alcohol in moderation, but should not drink excessively. However, there is one circumstance where it is advisable to check carefully before deciding whether to drink alcohol. This is the case if there are severe varicose veins in both lower limbs and even some clearly visible dilated veins on the abdomen. In such cases, it's recommended to check the liver first. This is because the veins from the lower limbs join to form a vein called the inferior vena cava, which passes through the liver to return to the heart. If there is a problem with the liver, it may compress the inferior vena cava, causing varicose veins on both sides. In this situation, drinking alcohol could further damage the liver, potentially worsening the varicose veins.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
40sec home-news-image

Does Grade II varicose veins require surgery?

In our clinical staging, Grade 2 varicose veins are the most common type of varicose veins. Often, these do not have complications and are relatively early-stage. The decision to undergo surgery depends on the patient's personal treatment preference. Some individuals might be motivated by cosmetic reasons, such as wanting to wear skirts or shorts in the summer to show off their legs. In such cases, their desire for treatment might be stronger. For some older individuals, they might not care as much, so the choice of undergoing surgery or opting for conservative treatment for Grade 2 varicose veins really depends on the patient's own wishes.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
50sec home-news-image

What does it mean when varicose veins occasionally have blocked blood flow?

The so-called varicose veins are caused by blood circulation blockages, which likely refers to local thrombus formation, leading to feelings of congestion in lower limbs, or caused by compression from above, such as tight clothing, exacerbating the obstruction of blood flow. This might result in increased surface tension of varicose veins in the lower extremities. Additionally, there might be some pain upon pressing, or even spontaneous pain. In such cases, differentiated treatment is required. For instance, if the issue is due to compressive clothing, like tight-knee socks or pants legs that are too tight, simply relieving the pressure should suffice. However, if a thrombus has formed causing increased local tension, pressing or massaging must be strictly avoided, as there is a risk the thrombus might dislodge and potentially lead to pulmonary embolism.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
1min 9sec home-news-image

Will varicose veins recur and have sequelae after surgery?

After varicose vein surgery, there may be a recurrence, and there may also be sequelae. The main reason for recurrence is that we only close off the varicose veins, but the causes that lead to varicose veins are not removed, such as some people having a family history, some being involved in long-term physical labor, and some being excessively obese. If these factors are not eliminated, the patient is very likely to relapse. The recurring veins may be some other nearby superficial veins that some surgical methods did not remove but merely closed locally. These veins might also reopen, and sequelae are possible. The most common sequelae include nerve damage, such as saphenous nerve damage, which is quite common with an incidence rate of about 14%. The main symptom is numbness near the inner ankle, which might improve over time. Some people feel discomfort at the surgical site on rainy or cloudy days shortly after surgery, and if the deep veins are damaged during surgery, more severe consequences may occur, including poor reflux in the deep veins and deep vein thrombosis, etc.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
1min 5sec home-news-image

Will wearing compression stockings every day help with Grade 2 varicose veins?

In the grading of varicose veins, Grade II signifies that there are obvious superficial vein tortuosity and dilation, and some may even clump together, but without edema and pigmentation. For patients with such newly developed varicose veins, persisting in wearing compression stockings can possibly lead to improvement. The main principle here is that in patients with newly developed Grade II varicose veins, the damage to the venous valves may not be severe, but rather due to venous pressure causing vein dilation, resulting in the valves not closing tightly. In such cases, if we apply external force to ensure the valves close tightly, preventing further vascular dilation and reducing the force of damage to the valves, then there is a possibility of recovery to a certain extent. If the condition has been present for a longer time, and this valvular dilation has already resulted in long-term effects, wearing compression stockings might only help in reducing the potential for further progression, but it is unlikely to improve existing varicose veins significantly.