Usefulness of intraoperative voiding cystourethrogram as an indicator of success in the endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral reflux.

Objective: Up until now, serial voiding cystourethrogram (SVCU) has been regarded as the gold standard technique in the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). The aim of intraoperative SVCU during endoscopic treatment is to detect those patients eligible to receive more biosynthetic material as a result of persistent VUR. The objective of this study was to assess the usefulness of SVCU as a predictor of treatment success.

Materials and methods: An analytical, retrospective study of patient medical records was carried out. Patients included had undergone endoscopic VUR surgery from 2000 to 2019, and they were measured in ureteral units. VUR persistence at intraoperative SVCU following treatment was compared with SVCU results after 3 months.

Results: Of a total of 167 ureteral units undergoing surgery, persistent reflux immediately after surgery was observed in 17 cases (10% of the sample). Only 3 cases had other urological malformations. In the SVCU carried out after 3 months, reflux was found in 38% of the sample (64 cases). When comparing the results, intraoperative SVCU demonstrated a specificity of 92.6%, and a sensitivity of 15.6%.

Conclusions: Given the low sensitivity (15.6%) of intraoperative SVCU to detect cases of persistent reflux in the mid-term, and considering the risks associated with radiation in the pediatric population - which is extremely sensitive to it -, intraoperative SVCU should be ruled out as a useful indicator of endoscopic treatment success.