Evolution of views on the functional anatomy of the vesicoureteral segment and etiopathogenetic features of vesicoureteral reflux in children

Bladder-ureteral reflux is a pathological condition in which there is a periodic and/or permanent retrograde flow of urine from the bladder into the urinary tract due to a malfunction of the anti-reflux mechanism of the vesicoureteral segment. The aim - to study etio-pathological mechanisms of vesicoureteral reflux in children to improve diagnostic and therapeutic tactics. Every year in Ukraine, 3,600-3,700 children with congenital defects of the urinary tract are diagnosed, with 1/3 of the defects occurring in their upper parts. According to statistics, there are 40-50 cases of congenital diseases of the urinary system per 1000 newborns. There are reports that the frequency of vesicoureteral reflux in the general pediatric population exceeds 2%. According to modern data, vesicoureteral reflux accounts for 0.1% to 1.0% of all pathology in the general pediatric population, accounting for 10% of all diseases of the urinary system in hospitalized children. Bladder-ureter is the initial link in the chain of pathological reflux in the urinary tract. The leading importance of the mechanism of the vesicoureteral reflux belongs to the study functional anatomy of the urinary tract as a whole. Bladder-ureteral reflux is most often detected during urination against the background of increased intravesical pressure, but it can occur during any of the stages of the urination cycle. Nephrosclerosis with vesicoureteral reflux is formed in 30-60% of cases, which leads to the development of the terminal stage of chronic renal failure in 25-60% of patients due to a decrease in the functional renal reserve, as an indicator of the compensatory capabilities of the kidneys. Conclusions. Review of literature dataregarding the structure and functional anatomy of the vesicoureteral segment convincingly testifies to the complexity and multi-level organization of its antireflux mechanism. Therefore, any further research in this direction will undoubtedly contribute to a deeper understanding of the normal functioning of this complex anatomical part of the human urinary system, which will allow the development and implementation of the latest physiological treatment methods in the practice of pediatric surgeons. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.