**1. Introduction**

The incidence of varicocele is approximately 10–15% in children and adolescents [1]. Approximately 10% of young males exhibit asymptomatic varicocele, of whom approximately 16% have reduced sperm counts based on sperm examination, and approximately 30% exhibit significant abnormalities in their semen. A recent European study that included over 7000 patients found a 15.7% rate of varicocele in young males with a median age of 19 years [2]. The prevalence of varicocele in prepubescent boys younger than 10 years of age is much lower, at <1%. In 2000, Akbay et al. reported a 0.8% prevalence in boys aged 2–6 years, 1.0% for those 7–10 years, 7.8% for those 11–14 years, and 14.1% for those 15–19 years of age [3]. These data suggest that varicoceles are progressive and increase in prevalence as boys approach puberty, which may be ascribed to the testis enlargement and the increase in blood supply to the testis [4].
