What is Kidney Reflux?

Here is the little mini IV pump that gives her the meds once a day. After it's finished they detach the IV pump and she's free to roam the hotel/hospital room again. They are treating her for a bladder/kidney infection. The Dr. thinks it was caused by a birth defect referred to as Vesicoureteral Reflux (Kidney Reflux). Not too many people have heard of it; I never had until now. So here is a little info on what might be happening in Avila's little body. The Dr. is pretty confident this is the problem; however we will know more after a test she's getting today.

Urine is normally created by the kidneys, flows down through tubes called ureters, and enters the bladder. The bladder is a holding tank. When the bladder muscle contacts and the sphincter relaxes, urine flows down and out of the body through the urethra. Why doesn’t the urine flow back into the ureters when the bladder contracts? The ureters enter the thick-walled bladder at an angle. The long path through the muscle acts as a valve. The ureters close as the bladder contracts -- an elegant system.Reflux happens when the muscle-valve doesn’t work. The path of the ureters through the muscle may be too straight or too short, or the muscle in that area may be too thin or too weak. Sometimes the person has an extra ureter with poor valve function. When the bladder contracts, some of the urine is propelled down and out, but some is ejected back up into the ureters.

How long it is expected to last depends on the severity of the reflux. Reflux is classified on a scale of Grade I to Grade V. In Grade I reflux, the urine flows up a short way through a normal-appearing, undilated ureter. In Grade II, the urine makes it all the way to the kidney, but the structures still look normal. By Grade V reflux, though, the ureters are dilated like elongated water balloons all the way up the kidney, where the normal structures are compressed and pushed out of place.Grade I and Grade II reflux will likely go away on their own. Grade III reflux is more likely to resolve the younger the child is when it is diagnosed. Grade IV reflux may also go away, especially if it is only on one side. Grade V reflux rarely disappears without surgery.If reflux does heal on its own, the average age is 6 or 7.

Imaging studies are needed to diagnose reflux. These are often wise to obtain in young children who have had urinary tract infections. Most will need both a renal ultrasound and a cystogram (a study where a catheter is put into the bladder, some marker is put into the urine, and pictures are taken when the bladder contracts).

*** Note to readers: The above was copied from a medical website. I don't talk or write that "smart".