Incomplete bladder emptying is associated with febrile urinary tract infections in infants

Abstract Objective To investigate lower urinary tract dysfunction in pre-toilet trained infants with and without history of febrile UTI (f-UTI). Materials and Methods Pre-toilet trained infants with f-UTI (Group 1) from pediatric nephrology and urology clinics, and those without f-UTI (Group 2) from infant-care centers were enrolled for the present study. Infants in Group 1 underwent four-hourly (4-H) observations for at least one month after treatment for UTI. Voided volume (VV) and post-void residual urine (PVR) were measured by weighting diaper and suprapubic ultrasound after finishing voiding, respectively. Average PVR was defined as the mean value of PVR during 4-H observation. Interrupted voiding was defined as two or three voidings within 10 min. Voiding efficiency was defined as VV/(VV + PVR). Results The mean ages of Group 1 ( n = 64) and Group 2 infants ( n = 56) were 10.6 ± 7.5 months vs 10.2 ± 5.1 months, respectively ( p = 0.70). Group 1 infants had significantly higher voiding frequency (3.0times ± 1.2 vs 2.6times ± 0.9, p = 0.04), average PVR (14.5 ml ± 14.2 vs 8.9 ml ± 8.8, p