Question:easy
What is NOT true about a varicocele?
What is NOT true about a varicocele?
Show Hint
Varicocele is more common on the left side, not the right, due to venous drainage anatomy.
Updated On: Jul 8, 2026
- More common on the right side
- Associated with infertility
- Left varicocele can be a late sign of a tumor in an elderly man
- 10% cases are bilateral
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Flag this as a find the false statement question.
Three of the four lines about varicocele are facts, one is wrong, and we need the wrong one.
Step 2: Work out which side should be more common.
The vein draining the left testis joins the left renal vein at a sharp right angle and has a longer course, both of which raise pressure and make the left pampiniform plexus dilate more easily. The right testicular vein drains almost straight into the vena cava at a gentler angle, so pressure builds up less there. This is why almost all varicoceles sit on the left.
Step 3: Test option A against this.
Option A claims the right side is more common, which runs opposite to the anatomy just worked out, so this is the false statement.
Step 4: Quickly confirm the rest hold up.
Varicocele lowering scrotal cooling and hurting sperm counts, hence linking to infertility, is standard teaching. A varicocele that suddenly appears on the left in an older man can be the first clue to a kidney tumor pressing on the renal vein, so checking for a mass is routine advice. And bilateral involvement in around a tenth of cases is also accepted.
Step 5: Conclude.
\[ \boxed{\text{More common on the right side}} \]
Three of the four lines about varicocele are facts, one is wrong, and we need the wrong one.
Step 2: Work out which side should be more common.
The vein draining the left testis joins the left renal vein at a sharp right angle and has a longer course, both of which raise pressure and make the left pampiniform plexus dilate more easily. The right testicular vein drains almost straight into the vena cava at a gentler angle, so pressure builds up less there. This is why almost all varicoceles sit on the left.
Step 3: Test option A against this.
Option A claims the right side is more common, which runs opposite to the anatomy just worked out, so this is the false statement.
Step 4: Quickly confirm the rest hold up.
Varicocele lowering scrotal cooling and hurting sperm counts, hence linking to infertility, is standard teaching. A varicocele that suddenly appears on the left in an older man can be the first clue to a kidney tumor pressing on the renal vein, so checking for a mass is routine advice. And bilateral involvement in around a tenth of cases is also accepted.
Step 5: Conclude.
\[ \boxed{\text{More common on the right side}} \]
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