To evaluate if addition of l-carnitine therapy to standard varicocelectomy adds any extra benefit in terms of improvement in semen parameters or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage.

One hundred patients enrolled in this study and were randomly divided into 2 groups (50 patients in each group). In group 1, standard inguinal varicocelectomy and, in group 2, standard inguinal varicocelectomy plus oral antioxidant therapy (oral l-carnitine, 250 mg 3 times a day) were performed for 6 months. For all patients, routine semen analysis and DNA damage test of spermatozoa (by 2 methods of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling and protamine damage assay) were performed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively.

In both groups, the improvement in semen analysis parameters and DNA damage was observed, but there was not any statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in these parameters, although the slope of improvement in DNA damage was slightly better in group 2 (that was not statistically significant).

We observed that addition of 750 mg of l-carnitine orally daily to standard inguinal varicocelectomy does not add any extra benefit in terms of improvement in semen analysis parameters or DNA damage.