Children at risk of kidney failure could benefit from a safe and simple procedure unveiled by doctors at United Christian Hospital yesterday.
The procedure - to correct a bladder aberration known as vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) that lets urine flow backwards into the kidneys - involves injecting a new drug called Deflux via keyhole surgery. The condition is caused by a congenital malformation at the junction of the urinary tract and the bladder.
Seven children, aged from three to six, underwent the procedure in trials starting in October last year at the Kwun Tong hospital. Check-ups eight months later showed that the four boys and three girls had had their conditions resolved by just one injection, said surgery department consultant Kelvin Liu Kam-wing. 'Our series confirms that endoscopic treatment of VUR is simple, safe and efficient,' Dr Liu said.
The hospital sees about 10 children suffering VUR a year, but the condition is estimated to affect 1.4 per cent of children in Hong Kong.
Dr Liu said the advantages of the keyhole treatment were that it was a day surgery, required only a short operation and a simple instrument, and produced minimal post-operative pain.
Deflux is a gel made of a special type of sugar and acid. It cures the condition by reinforcing the bladder mechanism and preventing urine from going backwards.