Contact scrotal thermography. II. Use in the infertile male.

The results of the use of a new contact scrotal thermographic instrument in 112 patients in a fertility clinic are presented. Animal studies comparing accuracy to Thermistor probe measurements show strong positive correlation. This modality is useful for evaluation of patients with persistently abnormal semen analyses after a varicocele ligation to determine which patients might benefit from invasive retrograde venography to detect persistent venous trunks. Patients with a questionable varicocele or "subclinical" varicocele comprise the group that benefits most from this diagnostic instrument. There were 24 patients in this category, and the results of contact scrotal thermography are discussed. Three of these patients have had high ligation of the spermatic vein on the basis of these studies and the results have been good.