Long-term follow-up of spinal cord injury patients with vesicoureteral reflux.

The medical records of 32 spinal cord injury patients with 43 vesicoureteral refluxes admitted to our hospital from 1970 to 1982 were retrospectively reviewed. These patients were followed yearly with pyelograms together with cystograms or cystourethrograms. Many of these individuals were on an indwelling Foley catheter at the time reflux was detected, indicating that free urinary drainage such as a Foley catheter did not prevent reflux formation. Further, the majority of refluxes developed 1-2 years post-injury, and some disappeared spontaneously without causing any damage to the urinary tract. However, the indwelling Foley catheter was ineffective for reflux treatment because in the long run it did not prevent progression of vesicoureteral reflux and did not protect the refluxing kidney from damage. We also noticed that the incidence of reflux was statistically higher in patients with complete spinal lesion than in those with incomplete neurological dysfunction. This incidence was also higher in individuals with an upper motor neuron lesion.