Varicoceles are a common cause of male infertility, but despite data from human studies the pathophysio-logy remains unclear. Seminal plas­ma cadmium concentrations were found to be increased in infertile men. In addition, increases in blood plasma cadmium concentrations in infertile men have been associated with terat-ozoospermia. Cadmium contributes to infertility by induction of apoptosis in testicular tissue. Methods: An ejac­ulate and blood sample were collect­ed immediately before surgery fol­lowed by aspiration of hydrocele fluid
from the tunica vaginalis at the time of subinguinal varicocelectomy. In each specimen, cadmium and iron levels were determined by atomic ab­sorption and the effect of hydrocele fluid on the sperm velocity was deter­mined by examining aliquots of sperms suspended in hydrocele fluid compared to those suspended in seminal plasma. Results: The cadmi­um and iron levels were higher in the hydrocele fluid than the peripheral blood in 72% and 46% of patients with bilateral varicocele respectively. Hydrocele fluid added to the sperms