[Vaginal reflux: A common cause of urinary incontinence].

Urinary incontinence is a common reason for care-seeking in the paediatric population that is more prevalent in girls and is found in 3--12% of children 6--8 years of age and in 1--12% of children 10--12 years of age. The diagnostic approach to daytime urinary incontinence in girls without neurological disorders is essentially based on the medical history, physical examination, voiding diary and noninvasive urodynamic tests. Occasionally, when incontinence is associated with other symptoms of lower urinary tract dysfunction, other diagnostic tests are indicated to assess bladder anatomy and/or functioning, such as urodynamic or videourodynamic tests, and at times even cystourethrography. Vaginal or urethrovaginal reflux is seen as a minor cause of urinary incontinence. It affects girls that experience urine leaks in the minutes following voiding and is not associated with other symptoms. However, the pooling of urine in the vagina during micturition is a well-known phenomenon in both girls and women, and it does not always lead to urinary incontinence. Symptomatic vaginal reflux, or reflux causing urinary incontinence, is defined as incontinence manifesting in girls with sphincter control that leak urine within 10 min from spontaneous emptying, with normal micturition and without evidence of anatomical abnormalities in the physical examination.