Inter-observer agreement on varicoceles diagnosis among patients referred to Shiraz Namazi Hospital

Abstract

Varicocele is the collection of dilated veins of pampiniform plexus which is the most common cause of infertility occurred in 35-40% of infertile men. Despite all the diagnostic tools exist for varicocele diagnosis; still, a physical examination is the first step. This study was done to determine the inter-observer agreement on varicoceles diagnosis. In this cross-sectional study, two expert examiners evaluated 93 men with infertility, scrotal pain, and enlarged scrotum for the presence of varicocele. The urologists examined patients independently in two separate rooms. The inter-observer agreement on varicocele grading analyzed by the Spearman Rho correlation coefficient. The grading of varicocele were similar in 34 (36.5%) and 59 (63.4%) cases in the left and right side, respectively with correlation coefficient of 0.65 (0.51-0.75) and 0.25 (0.04-0.43), respectively. It implies that inter-observer agreement was substantial for left varicocele assessment and moderate for right varicocele assessment. Physical exam is the essential diagnostic tool for varicocele. As long as the observers educated with the same standard method the disagreements reduced to the negligible extent.