Blue patent lymphography prevents hydrocele after laparoscopic varicocelectomy: 10 years of experience.

Purpose: Laparoscopic varicocelectomy according to the Palomo technique is the most common procedure adopted in children with testicular varicocele. This procedure involves the ligation of the internal spermatic cord and is associated with a 3%-5% incidence of recurrence and up to 30% incidence of hydroceles. We sought to determine the impact of lymphatic preservation on hydrocele formation and the success of varicocelectomy.

Profiles of HCV core protein and viremia in chronic hepatitis C: possible protective role of core antigen in liver damage.

The relation between HCV core antigen and HCV RNA has been confirmed in patients with chronic hepatitis C and a parallel behavior of the two markers has been described in early kinetics analysis during antiviral therapy. Variations of the core antigen to HCV RNA ratio have been reported in individual patients and the existence of nucleocapsid particles, not always associated with viral genomes, have been described. To assess the characteristics of HCV core antigen reactivity in relation to viremia in patients with different clinical profiles, 233 patients with chronic hepatitis C were studied serially.