title: Most infants with dilating vesicoureteral reflux can be treated nonoperatively.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dilating vesicoureteral reflux provokes concern for physicians and parents that often leads to corrective surgery in young children. Since there are limited data describing the natural history of dilating vesicoureteral reflux in infants, we identified factors predictive of resolution/improvement in infants initially treated nonoperatively.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the medical records of 90 infants 6 months old or younger from 2004 to 2010 who were referred for prenatal hydronephrosis or initial febrile urinary tract infection and found to have dilating vesicoureteral reflux (grade 3 or greater). Variables of interest included presentation, dimercapto-succinic acid results, sex, breakthrough febrile urinary tract infections, reflux grade and bilateral reflux. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of spontaneous resolution and/or improvement to reflux grade less than 3 as well as predictors of surgical intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Included in final analysis were 80 infants (113 renal units). Of the patients 51 (64%) experienced spontaneous resolution/improvement with a mean followup of 29 months before resolution, discharge home and/or end of followup. Only 20 patients (25%) underwent surgery. Cox regression analysis revealed that a normal initial dimercapto-succinic acid scan, initial reflux grade less than 5 and absent breakthrough febrile urinary tract infections were predictive of reflux resolution/improvement (p <0.05). Dimercapto-succinic acid scan abnormalities, prenatal hydronephrosis and breakthrough febrile urinary tract infections were significant predictors of surgery (p <0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dilating vesicoureteral reflux in infancy often resolves/improves spontaneously. Therefore, surgery should be directed toward patients unlikely to experience resolution, ie those with an abnormal initial dimercapto-succinic acid scan, grade 5 vesicoureteral reflux and breakthrough febrile urinary tract infections.
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital (MD), Detroit, Michigan. Electronic address: amar16@lsuhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Aaron D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital (MD), Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Muhammad W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital (MD), Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Bruce M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Sprague
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital (MD), Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Mireya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital (MD), Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: H Gil
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Rushton
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital (MD), Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital (MD), Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Massoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Majd
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital (MD), Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Hans G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Pohl
mesh_terms: D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D049451:Nomograms; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D004113:Succimer; D014718:Vesico-Ureteral Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D004113:Succimer
keywords: infant; ureter; urinary bladder; urinary tract infections; vesico-ureteral reflux