COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PALOMA OPERATION VERSUS INGUINAL APPROACH IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VARICOCELE

Objective: To compare post-operative results of Paloma operation versus Inguinal approach in the management of varicocele. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of General Surgery, Combined Military Hospital Malir Cantonment, from Jan 2017 to Jun 2018. Methodology: A total of 76 patients between the ages of 18 to 40 years were included in study. Patients with left sided grade II and III varicocele, right sided varicocele and bilateral varicocele were included in the study. Patients having concomitant inguinoscrotal pathology and presenting with recurrence were excluded from the study. Patients were divided into two groups A and B by lottery method. Group A underwent Paloma operation while group B underwent low ligation via inguinal approach. All patients were followed up at 1, 3 and 6 months. Results: Age range of patients was 18-40 years with mean age 26 ± 5 years. The frequency of postoperative complications was 18.42% in Paloma operation group versus 55.26% in the inguinal low ligation approach group respectively which was statistically significant (p=0.002). Conclusion: Paloma operation was found to be a better choice for varicocele surgery as compared to inguinal approach in terms of patient’s satisfaction and number of postoperative complications