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Objective To review the role of elastography in the evaluation and decision-making of adult, infertile men with varicocele. Methods A systematic search using the terms (Elastography) AND (Varicocele), (Stiffness) AND (Varicocele), (Elastography) AND (Male infertility) was performed in Pubmed/Medline. Studies reporting a) elastographic characteristics in varicocele-bearing comparing to normal testicles, and b) the correlation of elastography with varicocele grading, parameters of spermatogenesis, and outcomes of varicocele treatment were selected. Exclusion criteria were animal, adolescents, abstracts, and non-English language studies. Results In total, 453 articles were identified; 11 eligible studies were selected. Several modalities were used (shear wave elastography, strain elastography, quasistatic ultrasound elastography, acoustic radiation force impulse). Varicocele-bearing testicles have significantly different stiffness and elasticity in comparison to normal and non-varicocele testicles. Although not in full agreement, elastography readings are correlated with semen parameters. Conflicting results were reported regarding grading as most of the studies failed to demonstrate a significant correlation. Shear wave elastography showed a significant correlation with the improvement in semen parameters after varicocelectomy, but the association with pregnancy rates is unknown. Finally, no studies were identified comparing elastography with other modalities. Conclusions Elastography can detect changes in the architecture of varicocele-bearing testicles. Although the role of the modality in grading is uncertain, elastography showed a meaningful correlation with spermatogenesis parameters. Importantly, elastography readings could predict the improvement in semen parameters after varicocelectomy which is useful in terms of decision-making in infertile men with varicocele. Abbreviations ARFI: acoustic radiation force impulse; CDUS: colour Doppler ultrasonography; DWI: diffusion-weighted imaging; PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; SWE: shear wave elastography; VC: varicocele

Objectives: The widespread use of ultrasonography for the investigation of common urological conditions, such as infertility or pain, has resulted in an increased incidence of incidental non-palpable testicular masses. The majority of these are expected to be benign therefore a conservative approach, either active monitoring or organsparing approach, is recommended. However, there are no clinical or radiological parameters which define the exact nature of such lesions and optimal patient selection criteria are lacking. In this comprehensive review we discuss the significance of incidental, small testicular masses (STMs) and the role of organ-sparing approach in the management of these lesions. Materials and methods: A non-systematic search was performed using PubMed to identify articles that covered the following topics; clinical implications at diagnosis, role of imaging in identifying the malignant capabilities of a lesion, role of surgery and the final pathology. Results: Incidental STMs are routinely identified following ultrasound examination of infertile men. STMs usually measure a few millimeters in size and the majority of these are benign. Therefore, strict follow up or an organ-sparing approach, with utilisation of frozen section analysis (FSA), is favored for STMs. FSA has a high correlation with final pathology and prevents unnecessary orchidectomies. Advances in imaging, namely ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging may provide enhanced assessment of STMs and guidance intraoperatively. Conclusions: The optimal approach is not well defined and there is no specific clinical parameter that can predict the nature of STMs. The increasing incidence of small, benign testicular masses has resulted in the development of organ-sparing surgery to investigate and manage these lesions. Organ-sparing surgery has been shown to be practical and carries excellent oncological outcomes.

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