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Vesicoureteral Reflux Program

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Vesicoureteral Reflux Program

At Children's Hospital Boston's Department of Urology, children receive treatment for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) from our expert pediatric urologists. Some children may need only basic management, such as antibiotics and regular follow-up imaging tests. When surgical treatment is necessary, our patients have access to the latest surgical therapies including minimally invasive surgery.

What is vesicoureteral reflux?

VUR is a condition that affects about 1 percent of all children. VUR occurs when urine that resides in the bladder flows back into the ureters and back into the kidney.

Normally, urine flows down from the kidneys and passes through tubes called the ureters, which then enter the bladder. When a child has vesicoureteral reflux, the urine flows in the wrong direction into the kidney, which causes the bacteria that normally leave the body in the urine to come back into the kidney. This, in turn, causes pylonephritis, which is an infection of the kidney.

How common is vesicoureteral reflux?

About 30 years ago, when children were brought in to to see their doctor, the main diagnosis from the symptoms of VUR was a urinary tract infection (UTI). Then if a child's UTI was investigated further, it would be found that the child had vesicoureteral reflux. Now, because of more awareness about VUR, children are diagnosed earlier.

Approximately 30 to 40 percent of children who have a urinary tract infection are found to have reflux. In most cases, it is a febrile UTI, meaning the child has a high fever, resulting from a kidney infection.

What are the symptoms of vesicoureteral reflux?

Children experience symptoms from vesicoureteral reflux differently. The most common symptoms include:

Urgency to urinate, due to a urinary tract infection
Wetting
Nausea and vomiting
Protein in the urine (proteinuria)
High blood pressure (hypertension) caused by kidney damage