Objectives: Microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy is one of the best treatment modalities for varicoceles related to male infertility and scrotal pain. However, the difficulty in identifying testicular arteries, which should be spared, is a limitation of this technique. To visualize and identify the testicular arteries in spermatic cord during the operation, we examined the efficacy of intraoperative indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), which is regularly used in microsurgical neurosurgery.
Methods: After the exposure of the spermatic cord blood vessels, ICG was injected intravenously under a surgical microscope for observing infrared fluorescence in patients to identify and isolate the testicular artery.
Results: The testicular artery was clearly identified by ICGA and was able to separate under ICGA view. Thereafter, the varicose veins were repeatedly ligated, while preserving a few lymphatic vessels and the spermatic duct. The preserved arteries were confirmed by repeated ICGA at the end of microsurgical operation. The number of arteries identified by ICGA was greater than the number detected by preoperative computed tomography angiogram.
Conclusions: Microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy using intraoperative ICGA facilitated safe and quick surgery by enabling the visualization of the spermatic cord blood vessels. This is the first report to indicate the usefulness of vessel visualization by ICGA during microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy.
Keywords: angiography; computed tomography; indocyanine green; microscopic subinguinal varicocelectomy; varicocele.