Association between clean intermittent catheterization and urinary tract infection in infants and toddlers with spina bifida

In the present series, infants and toddlers with spina bifida who were initially managed with spontaneous voiding had a lower risk of UTI than those managed with CIC. Patients who switched to CIC after a period of initial observation with voiding did not have a significantly different risk of UTI compared with those managed with CIC alone. These findings suggest that early initiation of CIC may not be warranted in all infants with spina bifida. Further studies are needed to more clearly define optimal indications for initiation of CIC in these patients.Table. Association of UTIs and bladder management.UTINo UTIP-valueOR (95% CI)Initial bladder management CIC35.7%64.3% Voiding18.5%81.5%0.0452.45 (1.01-5.97)Final bladder management CIC33.3%66.7% Voiding13.6%86.4%0.0213.17 (1.16-8.68)Change in bladder management CIC (no change)39.5%60.5% Voiding (no change)15.0%85.0%0.27 (0.09-0.80) Voiding→CIC24.0%76.0%0.0630.48 (0.16-1.49)