Abstract
Pelvic congestion syndrome with an incompetent ovarian vein is a condition that in some particular patients carries significant morbidity. While incompetent and dilated ovarian vein is a common finding in routine CT and MR imaging, ovarian venography remains the "gold standard" for evaluation. Percutaneous transcatheter embolization offers a minimally invasive, safe, and effective treatment for pelvic congestion syndrome. Bilateral embolization, if necessary, using a sclerosing agent and coils has been shown to be associated with better results. Radiologists should be aware of the clinical manifestations of the pelvic congestion syndrome so that appropriate patients will be referred for the treatment.
Another subject is spermatic varicocele causing swelling and pain of the scrotum that may be associated with sperm abnormalities causing male infertility. Transcatheter embolization is a safe and effective treatment with a low recurrence rate. As a treatment for infertility, however, careful patient selection is mandatory because only patients with abnormal sperm parameters will benefit from treatment.
