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Températures et varicocèles

Varicoceles and temperature

Andrologie volume 12, pages 91–99 (2002)Cite this article

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Bien que retrouvée chez des hommes féconds, la varicocèle est considérée comme responsable de l'infécondité par de nombreux auteurs. L"hyperthermie' est l'un des mécanismes physiopathologiques évoqués pour expliquer les altérations de la spermatogenèse dues à la varicocèle. A partir des résultats rapportés dans la littérature concernant à la fois des situations cliniques chez l'homme et des données expérimentales chez l'animal, les constatations suivantes peuvent être faites: dans les populations d'hommes porteurs de varicocèle unilatérale, les températures moyennes testiculaires et scrotales sont augmentées de façon bilatérale dans la plupart des études. La bilatéralité de la varicocèle n'est pas associée à une augmentation plus importante de la température. L'effet de la cure chirurgicale sur la température testiculaire ou scrotale reste discuté. Enfin, le modèle animal de varicocèle expérimentale n'a pas jusqu'alors apporté des données supplémentaires concernant les mécanismes par lesquels la température testiculaire est augmentée en cas de varicocèle. En conclusion, s'il existe bien une association entre varicocèle et température testiculaire, cette dernière n'est pas systématiquement augmentée.

Abstract

Varicocele is considered to be responsible for male infertility by several authors, while varicocele may also exist in fertile men. Hyperthermia or “raised” testicular temperature is one of the pathophysiological mechanisms proposed to explain impaired spermatogenesis when a varicocele is present in infertile men. The reported clinical data in humans and experimental results of surgically-induced varicocele in animals indicate the following findings. In most studies, mean testicular and scrotal temperatures are bilaterally increased in populations of men with unilateral left varicocele compared to control populations. Similar results are observed following surgical induction of experimental left varicocele in animals.

In the case of bilateral varicocele, the increase in mean temperature is similar to that observed in unilateral varicocele. Data concerning the effects of varicocelectomy on testicular or scrotal temperatures are still inconclusive in humans because of the discordant results in the small number of studies dealing with this topic. However, experimental data indicate that varicocelectomy results in recovery of normal mean temperature in animals submitted to surgically-induced varicocele, but experimental animal models of varicocele have failed to provide any explanation for the increase in temperature.

In conclusion, although there is a relationship between varicocele and testicular temperature, testicular temperature is not increased in every case of varicocele.

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  1. Centre de Stérilité Masculine, Hôpital La Grave, La Grave, 31052, Toulouse cedex, France

    Roger Mieusset

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Correspondence to Roger Mieusset.

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Communication au XVIII0 Congrès de la Société d'Andrologie de Langue Française, Montpellier, 13–15 décembre 2001.

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Mieusset, R. Températures et varicocèles. Androl. 12, 91–99 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03034952

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Basic and Clinical Andrology

ISSN: 2051-4190