Comparison of ureteral opening distance from midline in children with vesicoureteral reflux and healthy children: a brief report

Vesicoureteral reflux (urinary reflux) is one of the most common congenital anomalies in children. This study aimed to compare the ureteral opening distance from the midline in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and healthy children

This cross-sectional study was performed on the children with pyelonephritis who were referred to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman, Iran from August 2019 to August 2020. Twenty children with vesicoureteral reflux (urinary reflux) and twenty healthy children were randomly selected. Then children with vesicoureteral reflux (urinary reflux) and healthy children were divided into two groups. The distance from the ureter to the midline in these children was then measured by a radiologist with a Philips affinity 70 ultrasound machine.

In both groups (healthy children and ones with vesicoureteral reflux), ninety-five percent of the children were girls. The mean age of the children in the second group (the children with urinary reflux) was 5.8±2.58 years and the mean age of the children in the first group (the healthy children) was 4.75±1.54 years. The mean age difference between the children with urinary reflux and healthy children was not statistically significant (P=0.127). The mean distance of the ureter from the midline in children with vesicoureteral reflux was 11.44±2.60 mm and the mean distance of the ureter from the midline in healthy children was 9.32±2.74 mm. The mean difference distance of the ureter from the midline in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and healthy children was statistically significant (P=0.002).

Considering that the distance between the ureter and the midline in patients with urinary reflux is significantly longer than non-reflux ureters, it can be used as a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux (urinary reflux) in children.