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Office: OSAC-1216G MERFIowa City, IA 52242 Phone: Email: christopher-cooper@uiowa.edu
Office/Lab: 3 RCPIowa City IA, 52242
BA, Biology, The University of Iowa, 1987MD, The University of Iowa, 1991Residency, Urology, The University of Iowa, 1997Fellowship, Pediatric Urology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 1999
Primary: Medicine Administration, UrologySecondary: Pediatrics
bladder, congenital anomaly, enuresis, kidney, neurogenic bladder, pediatrics, ureter
Dr. Cooper's research focuses on the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of fetal genitourinary anomalies and pediatric voiding dysfunction. Recently, Dr. Cooper's research studies have concentrated on the treatment decision-making process in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). VUR is the retrograde flow of urine from the bladder into the ureter, due to incompetence of the vesicoureteral valve (between the bladder and the ureter), which can lead to bacterial infection in the kidney. Because severe VUR (high grade), if left untreated, can lead to kidney damage, and mild (low grade) VUR may spontaneously resolve, parents and clinicians face a dilemma in determining which treatment, if any, is best for each child. Treatment may range from antibiotic prophylaxis to surgical intervention. Because surgery carries an inherent risk in any child, and long-term antibiotic use is debatable, careful consideration of all variables in each case of VUR must be considered. To further the understanding of VUR and which children are likely to benefit from various forms of intervention, Dr. Cooper and colleagues are actively investigating factors which may determine whether spontaneous resolution without sequelae is likely, or if intervention is warranted. Age, gender, grade of reflux, laterality, renal scarring, cause of reflux, as well as more complex factors such as bladder volume and pressure at onset of reflux, and bladder and bowel function, are all taken into account. Dr. Cooper and coworkers have analyzed these aspects and reported numerous findings, including the creation of a computational model to predict VUR outcome. Other aspects of Dr. Cooper's ongoing clinical research include prenatal hydronephrosis, including participation in an international database, overactive bladder, and reconstructive genitourinary surgery.