The impact of our acquired experience on endoscopic injection treatment outcomes of vesicoureteral reflux during the first ten years of practice

Introduction: Endoscopic injection treatment (EIT) for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) correction is widely accepted as an optimal method for more than thirty years. However, it is still in its infancy in many pediatric surgical centers. It presents variable cure rates, with many factors affecting its successfulness. Objectives: We aimed to identify how accumulated endoscopic experience affected the VUR resolution success rates, in association with a variety of characteristics, since the beginning of practicing the technique. We attempt to improve patient selection. Patients and Methods: The outcomes of 53 children, corresponding to 78 refluxing ureteral units (RUUs), treated with endoscopic injection during the first years of practice (2010-2016), and 26 children with 42 RUUs during the latest years (2017-2020), were compared. Characteristics such as age, gender, VUR grades, preoperative voiding cystogram and dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphy, side, laterality were analyzed in relation with outcome of the groups of the study population. Outcomes presenting statistically significant differences were considered related to experience. Results: Refluxing ureters of the second group presented significant improved endoscopic treatment success rates and also significant reduced need for open surgery. The second group of experienced performance presented significant improved success rates in younger children, in girls, in children with bilateral VUR or duplex ureteral system, and when reflux presented at the filling phase of voiding cystourethrogram. Furthermore, the second group of experienced performance presented significant improved success rates in ureteral units of a duplex system or with grade III and high grades IV-V VUR. Conclusion: Our initial experience with EIT has been promising. Boys, and children with bilateral VUR or duplex ureteral system should be treated by more experienced endoscopic surgeons. Furthermore, high grade VUR is a predisposing factor for endoscopic treatment failure, performing by less experienced surgeons. Pediatric surgeons must upgrade their learning curve, initiating their experience, and developing their surgical skills with more simple cases before expanding their practice to more complicated.