Internal spermatic vein prostaglandins in varicocele patients.

Blood was collected from 20 patients with varicocele (15 in the infertile group and 5 in the incidental varicocele group) at the time of high ligation by insertion of a catheter into the internal spermatic vein toward the renal side. Simultaneously, blood was obtained from the antecubital vein. The levels of cortisol, prostaglandin (PG)(A + B), PGE, and PGF in these blood samples were measured. Although no differences in cortisol and PG(A + B) levels were observed between internal spermatic and peripheral vein bloods in varicocele patients examined, PGE and PGF levels were higher in internal spermatic venous bloods than in peripheral venous bloods. Differences in PGF levels between the samples of blood from the internal spermatic vein and from the peripheral vein in cases of the infertile group were larger than those of the incidental varicocele group. PGE and PGF in internal spermatic vein blood samples were correlated. The possibility that PGE and PGF, refluxed from the renal vein to the testes via the internal spermatic vein in varicocele patients, disturbs spermatogenesis is discussed.