Endoscopic Management of Vesicoureteral Reflux in Women Presenting With Pyelonephritis

Purpose: Vesicoureteral reflux is not usually considered a major cofactor in acute pyelonephritis in women. However, there is a subset of individuals in whom reflux must be considered in the evaluation of acute pyelonephritis. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic treatment for vesicoureteral reflux in this subset of patients.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 13 female patients presenting with clinical pyelonephritis between 2001 and 2005. All of these patients had either a history of vesicoureteral reflux in childhood or a family history of reflux, or had previously undergone surgery for reflux. All patients underwent voiding cystourethrogram and dimercapto-succinic acid renal scan as part of the evaluation.Results: Of the 13 individuals evaluated 9 had vesicoureteral reflux. Of these patients 5 had been operated on previously for vesicoureteral reflux, 2 had a strong family history of reflux and 2 had reflux as a child with documented resolution. Six of th...