The Significance of the Adrenergic Nerves in the Etiology of Vesicoureteral Reflux

Abstract

We studied 40 puppies serially from birth to 6 months of age for the presence of vesicoureteral reflux. Of these dogs 36 underwent biopsy of the bladder dome and trigone in search of adrenergic fibers that could be identified by catecholamine fluorescence. The results show that the incidence of vesicoureteral reflux decreased dramatically as adrenergic fibers began to appear. This inverse relationship between reflux and adrenergic bladder fibers seems to suggest a cause-and-effect relationship.