EVOLUTION OF SURGICAL METHODS FOR VARICOCELE TREATMENT: FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD TO THE PRESENT DAY

From ancient times to the present day, the choice of surgical methods for the treatment of varicocele has been a subject of debate, given the many different approaches. The first documented mention of varicocele dates back to the 1st century AD, when Aulus Cornelius Celsus in his book “De Medicina” provides his own observation, in which he describes an increase in the veins of the pampiniform plexus and a decrease in the size of the testicle on the same side. Since then, surgical methods for treating varicocele have undergone significant changes, ranging from cauterization of the testicular veins to robot-assisted surgeries. To date, more than 100 types of surgical interventions are known in the world, but most of them are of purely historical significance due to the high frequency of relapses. This review examines the evolution of surgical methods for treating varicocele, as well as outstanding scientists whose contributions have significantly influenced their development from ancient times to the era of modern surgical interventions.