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Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:855-856.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Varicocele is an abnormal tortuosity and dilatation of the pampiniform venous plexus that results from valvular incompetence of the spermatic vein. It rarely appears before age 10 years, and it tends to persist throughout life if left untreated. Early detection may be important because varicocele may occasionally cause infertility and is in rare cases a sign of intra-abdominal cancer.^{1, 2, 3} Considering that the incidence of varicocele peaks toward the end of puberty, we sought to study the incidence and characteristics of varicocele in a large homogeneous group of older adolescents, and to compare the findings with reports in the literature.

Patient Report

The study population consisted of 21 529 healthy males aged 17 to 18 years, who were undergoing routine physical examination during military physicals. The presence or absence of varicocele was determined by 2 physicians (2 within a pool of 10 military physicians) in each case. The scrotum was examined in the standing . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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