RT Journal
A1 ROCKNEY RM, CALDAMONE AA
T1 CIrcumcision and urinary tract abnormalities
JF American Journal of Diseases of Children
JO American Journal of Diseases of Children
YR 1989
FD November 1
VO 143
IS 11
SP 1261
OP 1262
DO 10.1001/archpedi.1989.02150230019009
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.1989.02150230019009
AB Sir.—In a study recently published in AJDC, Herzog1 showed that noncircumcision is a significant risk factor for urinary tract infection (UTI) in infants up to 12 months of age, an assertion that supports earlier studies by Wiswell et al.2,3 In Herzog's study 8 (26%) of 31 uncircumcised male infants with UTI were found to have anatomic abnormalities detected roentgenographically. It is further pointed out that in three of four previous studies of the incidence of urinary tract abnormalities in infants less than 1 year of age with UTI, the frequency of roentgenographic abnormalities is even greater. Though circumcision status was not mentioned in those studies, "they were from countries where neonatal circumcision is not routine."1 The implication is that noncircumcision puts an infant at risk for an anatomic abnormality of the urinary tract. This implication is by no means proved and, in fact, can and has