About 1 out of 20 girls will develop a urine infection. Only about 1 in 200 boys will develop a urine infection. One-third of children with urine infections have reflux. Children with urine infections need an examination and some testing. This important test is performed by putting a catheter through the urine channel into the bladder.
Liquid dye is put into the catheter to fill the bladder.
When the bladder is filled, x-rays are taken while the child urinates. This is the only test that can show whether reflux is present. This test also helps us to know how severe the reflux is, which is important in determining how it should be managed. If a child has many urine infections, damage to the kidney can occur. However, with proper treatment, this is extremely rare.