Abstract
Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is one of the most common congenital anomalies in the kidney and the urinary tract. Endoscopic subureteral injection of a bulking agent has become popular in VUR treatment due to its high success rates, few complications, and a straightforward procedure. In this study, a novel magnetic bulking agent was prepared by embedding Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles in cross-linked agarose microspheres with diameters of 80–250 μm and dispersing the magnetic microspheres in a hyaluronic acid hydrogel. The bulking agent has good biocompatibility and biosecurity validated by the tests of cytotoxicity, in vitro genotoxicity, animal irritation, skin sensitization, acute systemic toxicity, and pathological analysis after the injection of the bulking agent extract solution into healthy mice as well as injection of the bulking agent into VUR rabbits. The VUR rabbits were created by incising the roof of the intravesical ureter to enlarge the ureteral orifice. The success rate of the bulking agent in treating VUR rabbits using a subureteral transurethral injection technique was 67% (4/6) or 80% (4/5, excluding the unfinished rabbit), and no migrated particles were found in the organs of the rabbits. The transverse relaxation rate of the bulking agent was 104 mM−1s−1. After injection, the bulking agent was long-term trackable through magnetic resonance imaging that can help clinicians to inspect the VUR treatment effect. For the first time, this study demonstrates that the bulking agent with a long-term stable tracer is promising for endoscopic VUR treatment.
Highlights
Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is one of the most common congenital anomalies in the kidney and the urinary tract that occurs in 0.4–1.8% of all children (Skoog et al, 2010; Renkema et al, 2011)
Fe3O4@Agar/HA was a viscous hydrogel, in which hyaluronic acid acted as the carrier of the Fe3O4@Agar microspheres, and Fe3O4@Agar/HA would form a mound after the injection and provide the bulking action as Dx/HA
The bulking agent was produced by embedding Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles in crosslinked agarose microspheres Fe3O4@Agar and dispersing Fe3O4@ Agar in a hyaluronic acid hydrogel
Summary
Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is one of the most common congenital anomalies in the kidney and the urinary tract that occurs in 0.4–1.8% of all children (Skoog et al, 2010; Renkema et al, 2011). VUR is associated with an increased risk of urinary tract infection (Arlen and Cooper, 2015). Children with persistent VUR are predisposed to long-term sequelae, including hypertension, preeclampsia, proteinuria, chronic renal insufficiency, and even end-stage renal disease (Simoes et al, 2007; Montini et al, 2011). The aim of the treatment of a child with VUR is to prevent recurrent febrile urinary tract infection and new renal damage, and to minimize the morbidity of the therapy and follow-up procedures (Peters et al, 2010). Surgical intervention is often the fully effective approach in VUR treatment. Endoscopic subureteral injection of a bulking agent
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
