Short Term Evaluation of Endoscopic Injection of Autologous Total Blood Nucleated Cells and Platelets in Treatment of Vesicoureteral Reflux in Adults

Background and Vesico-ureteral reflux (VUR) is one of the most common diseases encountered by urologists. Ureteral re-implant has been the only method of surgery for VUR correction. In recent years endoscopic injection of several agents (bulking agents) has been proposed as a treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of endoscopic subureteric injection of total blood nucleated cells and platelet.
A clinical trial was done in 17 patients with VUR aging 18-35 years old in Mashhad Imam Reza Hospital, Iran, 2012-2015. The participants were randomly selected and placed under endoscopic injection following voiding cystourethrography (VCUG). Three months later the patients were evaluated using clinical findings, urine culture and VCUG. If the VUR persisted, the second injection was performed three months after the first one.
There were 17 patients including 13 females and 4 males, mean age 22.8 ± 4.9 years. The procedure achieved success in 89% of renal units after the first injection and 94% after the second one. We observed no major complications.
Our pilot interventional clinical trial showed that endoscopic injection of total blood nucleated cells and platelets is an effective method for treatment of VUR in adult patients.