Hydrocele formation following laparoscopic varicocelectomy

Purpose: Hydrocele is a known complication of varicocelectomy. We evaluated the incidence of hydrocele following laparoscopic varicocelectomy at our institution. Materials and Methods: A total of 89 boys were treated with laparoscopic ligation of the spermatic vessels for clinically palpable varicoceles between January 2000 and December 2003. Charts were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 10 patients were excluded because they were lost to followup or presented with recurrent varicocele. Followup consisted of office visits with physical examinations at 1 and 12 months postoperatively. Patient charts were reviewed for perioperative variables, operative technique and complications. Results: Only 1 of 79 patients (1.3%) had persistent varicocele with a mean of 20.7 months of followup. A total of 18 patients (22.8%) had development of hydrocele postoperatively, of whom 9 required hydrocelectomy. In addition, 2 of these 9 patients needed repeat hydrocelectomy. Of the 57 patients with greater than 6 months of followup 29.8% had development of hydrocele. A higher rate of hydrocele formation (31.1%) was also noted in patients who underwent ligation and division of the spermatic vessels rather than ligation alone (11.8%, p = 0.04). Conclusions: Our series demonstrates a high rate of hydrocele formation following laparoscopic varicocelectomy, particularly in patients with longer followup. The incidence of hydrocele after laparoscopic varicocelectomy may be underreported. However, there appears to be a statistically significant decrease in hydroceles when the internal spermatic vessels are simply ligated rather than ligated and divided. Despite its ease and low failure rate, the standard technique of laparoscopic varicocelectomy requires reexamination, potentially allowing modifications that may decrease hydrocele formation, such as salvaging lymphatics and avoiding division of the vessels.