https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2022.1.70

Retinal vessel diameters: Can they predict future risk of infertility in patients with varicocele?

Vol. 94 No. 1 (2022)
Submitted: August 31, 2021
Accepted: November 22, 2021
Published: March 29, 2022
Infertility, Reproductive hormone, Retinal vessels, Semen parameters, Varicocele
Abstract Views: 665
PDF: 374
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Authors

Mazen A. Ghanem
mazenghanem99@yahoo.co.uk
Departments of Urology, Jazan University, KSA and Menoufia University, Egypt.
Essa A. Adawi
Department of Urology, Jazan University, KSA , Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed M. Ghanem
Kasr Al-Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
Manal A. Safan
Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Menoufia University, Egypt.
Asaad A. Ghanem
Ophthalmic Mansoura Center, Mansoura University, Egypt.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between retinal vessel diameters, such as retinal arteriolar diameter, retinal venular diameter, and arteriolar/venular ratio (AVR), as clinical parameters of fertility in varicocele patients.
Materials and methods: Sixty-eight (68) infertile varicocele men with abnormal semen parameters and sixty-one (61) varicocele normozoospermic men were included in the study. Moreover, fifty-eight (58) healthy normozoospermic men without varicocele were enrolled as a control group. For each participant, retinal vascular diameters were measured from the digital retinal photographs as a central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE), central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE), and AVR. In addition, hormones (total testosterone and FSH), and semen parameters were assessed and correlated with retinal vessel diameters.
Results: The mean CRAE, CRVE, and AVR values were 147.8 ± 15.8 μm, 198.3 ± 39.3 μm, and 0.61 ± 0.01 in infertile varicocele patients, respectively. Significant difference of CRAE, CRVE, and AVR were found when comparing infertile varicocele patients with both varicocele and control normozoospermic male groups (p = 0.01, p = 0.006, and p = 0.007; respectively). Larger retinal venular caliber and smaller AVR ratio showed a significant inverse correlation with both sperm parameters and hormones (total testosterone and FSH) (p < 0.05). No significant correlations were found between CRAE with both sperm parameters and hormonal values (total testosterone and FSH) (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Infertile patients with varicocele showed a significant relationship with the retinal vascular diameter (CRVE and AVR ratio). This finding supports recommendation for regular eye examinations in the varicocele population.

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How to Cite

Ghanem, M. A., Adawi, E. A., Ghanem, A. M., Safan, M. A., & Ghanem, A. A. (2022). Retinal vessel diameters: Can they predict future risk of infertility in patients with varicocele?. Archivio Italiano Di Urologia E Andrologia, 94(1), 70–74. https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2022.1.70

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