The Effect of Renal Scarring on Spontaneous Resolution and Breakthrough Infection in Children

Purpose: Primary treatment of children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is antibiotic prophylaxis until the reflux resolves. But, it is not easy to determine in which patients the reflux resolves. We sought to determine whether renal scarring could help to predict the prognosis of reflux regarding reflux resolution and breakthrough infection. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 children, 54 boys and 36 girls, mean age 15.1 (range: 1-98) months, with VUR were analyzed retrospectively. Eighty-six presented with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) and 4 with prenatal hydronephrosis. Technetium Tc 99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scans were performed at 4 months after resolution of a febrile UTI. All children were initially treated with antibiotic prophylaxis (BactrimⓇ; TMX-SMX 2 mg/kg/day) and 40 underwent antireflux surgery. Median follow-up was 26.1 (range: 6-52) months. Reflux grade was defined by use of the International Classification System. We analyzed the incidence of renal scarring according to reflux grade, reflux resolution, and reaso