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Specializing in all aspects of male, female, & pediatric urology care
South Clinical Campus
Albany Medical Center
23 Hackett Blvd.
Albany, NY 12208
(518) 262-3341
Offices throughout the Albany, NY area
Elise De, MD
Carl Diaz-Parker, RPA-C
Emily Feauve, PA
Hugh Fisher, MD, FACS
Karla Giramonti, FNP
Jean Hollowell, MD
Ronald Kaufman, MD, FACS
Barry Kogan, MD
Badar Mian, MD
Donald Rivard, MD
Mark White, MD
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Vesicoureteral Reflux
Vesicoureteral Reflux Introduction
Vesicoureteral reflux occurs when urine washes back (refluxes) from the bladder (vesico), up the ureter (ureteral), and toward the kidney. There are two types of vesicoureteral reflux: primary and secondary. Children with primary vesicoureteral reflux are born with a defect in the valve that normally prevents urine from flowing backward from the bladder into the ureters. Secondary vesicoureteral reflux is due to a blockage, often caused by infection, in the urinary tract. Under normal conditions, urine flow is one-directional (downstream). This means that it flows from the kidneys, down the ureters, into the bladder and then it is voided out the urethra. The urinary system is made up of: - Two kidneys on either side of the spine, just below the rib cage.
- Two tubes ("ureters") that carry urine from the kidneys into the bladder.
- The bladder - a muscular structure that expands to store urine.
- A urethra to carry urine out of the body.
- A muscle at the bladder neck ("sphincter") that holds back urine.
- Urine - water and waste products filtered from the blood as it passes through the kidneys.
Normally, the bladder stores urine until it is filled. At that point, nerve fibers in the bladder send a message through the spinal cord to the brain. The brain responds by sending a message back to the bladder, causing it to contract. It also causes the sphincter to relax, allowing urine to pass through the urethra ("voiding").
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Female Urology | Male Urology | Pediatric Urology
Albany Medical Center's South Clinical Campus, 23 Hackett Blvd., Albany, NY 12208
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