Pain experience during internal spermatic vein embolization for varicocele: comparison of two cyanoacrylate glues

The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible pain sensation differences in patients after retrograde varicocele embolization either with n-butyl-(2)-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) or with n-butyl-(2)-cyanoacrylate + methacryloxysulfolane (NBCA-MS). Transcatheter varicocele embolization was performed in 64 consecutive patients (62 left, two bilateral). Embolization was done with NBCA (n=32) or NBCA-MS (n=32). Immediately after the procedure, patients were asked to evaluate pain during embolization using a visual analog scale (VAS). Statistical analysis was done with Student’s t test. Mean pain score on VAS was 3.23 (range: 0–8) for NBCA and 3.28 (range 0–9) for NBCA-MS. This difference was not significant (P=0.932). Independently of the type of glue, no difference in pain sensation (P value 0.421) was found between patients younger than 18 (n=29) and patients older than 18 years of age (n=35) (younger than18, mean 3.52; older than 18, mean 3.05). No difference in mean pain experience level (P=0.323) was seen in 11 patients with vessel wall perforation (23.4%) during the procedure (3.89; range: 0–8.5) in comparison with those without perforation (mean pain sensation level: 3.13; range: 0–9). No difference in pain experience was found after transcatheter varicocele embolization either with NBCA or NBCA-MS. Age and vessel wall perforation have no influence on pain sensation independently of the type of glue.