Varicocele embolization with glue and coils: A single center experience

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare metallic coils and glue (n-butyl-2 cyanoacrylate) for varicocele embolization, regarding immediate technical and clinical success, procedure time, complications and recurrence rates. Materials and methods A retrospective analysis of a consecutive series of varicocele embolization procedures performed between July 2012 and July 2015 was undertaken. A total of 129 procedures were performed, 26 using glue (20.2%; 26 men with a mean age of 32.6 years) and 103 using coils (79.8%; 103 men with a mean age of 32.3 years). Demographic data, indications, technique, procedure time, complications and outcomes were compared. Results A total of 89 procedures (69%) were motivated by infertility (glue = 20, coils = 69) and 40 (31%) by testicular pain (glue = 6, coils = 34). The mean procedure time was 35.58 ± 13.44 (SD) min for glue and 45.97 ± 17.46 (SD) min for coils ( P  = 0.0054). Immediate technical success rate was 100% using glue and 99% using coils ( P  = 1.0000). A single minor complication was observed after coil embolization (0.97%). Both materials showed significant improvement of semen parameters, with similar clinical success rates. For patients referred for testicular pain, clinical success rate was 66.67% using glue and 88.24% using coils ( P  = 0.2147). Recurrence rate was 11.54% with glue and 5.83% with coils ( P  = 0.4000). Procedure time was significantly shorter with glue ( P  = 0.0054). Conclusion Glue and coils are both safe and effective for varicocele embolization. However, the use of glue yields shorter procedure time.