Varicocele is a prevalent condition affecting nearly 15% of male population and is the most common abnormal physical finding among infertile men. The associations between varicocele, impaired spermatogenesis, and male infertility have long been recognized. Numerous conflicting individual studies and systematic reviews on outcomes of varicocele treatment have been published in the literature, with many reports claiming improvements in semen characteristics and pregnancy rates while others denied any advantage. The fundamental questions regarding the detrimental effects of varicocele on male fertility potential and the impact of varicocelectomy remain unresolved. Similarly, several other questions still remain to be answered regarding the effects of varicocele and its repair on sperms DNA integrity, the implications of varicoceles in men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), and the associations between varicocele and hypogonadism and sexual dysfunctions.

We would like to invite the authors to submit original research articles as well as review articles that will contribute to the continuing efforts to understand the potential effects of varicocele on male fertility, when to repair, and molecular and clinical outcomes of varicocele repair.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Varicocele: impact on male fertility
• Semen quality in varicocele
• Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and sperm DNA fragmentation in varicocele
• Effects of varicocelectomy on sperm DNA integrity
• Varicocele repair in NOA: impact on ejaculate sperm recovery, sperm retrieval rate in micro-TESE, pregnancy rates, DNA fragmentation rate, and so forth
• Varicocele repair: prediction of outcomes
• Hypogonadism, erectile dysfunction (ED), and other sexual dysfunctions with varicocele
• Subclinical varicocele (unilateral/bilateral): to repair or not
• Grade I varicocele (unilateral/bilateral): to repair or not
• Recurrent varicocele: what to do
• Adolescents’ varicocele
• Varicocele in old age
• Repair versus IVF in men with severe oligospermia
• Future perspectives