Predictive value of preoperative blood parameters on the efficacy of microscopic varicocele ligation for infertility patients with varicocele / 中国医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of preoperative blood parameters on the efficacy of microscopic varicocele ligation in the treatment of infertility patients with varicocele.Methods:The clinical data of 110 patients with varicocele admitted to Xi′an People′s Hospital and Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from June 2016 to January 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Successful operation was defined as the restoration of all semen parameters (sperm concentration, forward motility, morphology, etc.) to normal values 6 months after operation. The patients were divided into effective treatment group (group A, 78 cases) and ineffective treatment group (group B, 32 cases). The blood parameters of the two groups were compared before operation. Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between blood parameters [neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV)] and the success of microscopic varicocele ligation. The predictive value of blood parameters (NLR and MPV) to the success of microscopic varicocele ligation was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:There was no significant difference in clinical characteristics, and sex hormone levels between the two groups before operation (all P>0.05); There were statistically significant differences in NLR and MPV in blood parameters between the two groups (both P<0.05), and there was no significant differences in other blood parameters (both P>0.05). There was no significant difference in semen parameters between the two groups before operation (all P>0.05). After operation, the semen volume, semen concentration, forward movement and sperm morphology of patients in group A were significantly improved compared with those before operation (all P<0.05), while the parameters of patients in group B had no significant difference compared with those before operation (all P>0.05). There was a negative correlation between preoperative NLR and the success rate of spermatic vein ligation ( r=-0.719, P<0.01), and a positive correlation between MPV and the success rate of spermatic vein ligation ( r=0.522, P<0.01). The ROC curve was used to analyze the threshold of predictive variables for the success of spermatic vein ligation. The optimal critical value of NLR was 2.01 ( P<0.01), and the optimal critical value of MPV was 11.45 ( P<0.01). Conclusions:Low NLR (<2.01) and high MPV (>11.45) may be useful preoperative predictive tools for identifying the group of infertile varicocele patients who would benefit most from microscopic spermatic vein ligation.