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Posterior urethral valves (PUV) are congenital obstructive leaflets located in the posterior urethra that impede normal urine flow in male infants. This condition represents the most common cause of severe obstructive uropathy in newborn boys and can lead to significant kidney damage if not promptly diagnosed and treated.
The abnormal valve leaflets create a functional obstruction at the level of the posterior urethra, causing increased bladder pressure and upstream effects including bladder wall thickening, vesicoureteral reflux, and progressive renal dysplasia. Chronic obstruction leads to decreased glomerular filtration, tubular dysfunction, and potential chronic kidney disease due to the combination of obstructive nephropathy and associated renal dysplasia.
Diagnosis should be suspected in male infants presenting with oligohydramnios on prenatal ultrasound, poor urinary stream, recurrent urinary tract infections, or failure to thrive. The combination of a distended bladder, bilateral hydroureteronephrosis on imaging, and characteristic findings on voiding cystourethrography confirms the diagnosis and guides urgent urological intervention to prevent irreversible renal damage.