Posterior urethral valves--diagnosis and primary treatment considerations

Posterior Urethral Valves--PUV are the most common cause of bladder outflow obstruction in male infants, representig about 10% of prenatally detected hydronephrosis. The medical records of 27 patients, admitted and treated in the pediatric urology department of "Maria Sklodowska Curie" Emergency Hospital for Children, Bucharest, between 2001-2010 where reviewed. The aim of the study is to discuss the endoscopic valve ablation as the first choice treatment of PUV. Twenty-six, (96%) of ouer patients are alive, having now different ages, with serum creatinine levels < 0.8 mg/dl, at successive controls. One patient, lyear 11 mounths old, died in the pediatric nephrology department after right nephrec-tomy and left ureterostomy, 9 mounth before. Mortality rate in PUV patients has significantly decreased in the last 30 years, from 50% to less than 10% of patients. Nonetheless, morbidity related to PUV still represent an heavy burden for these patients and their doctors. Urodynamic studies help in understanding the pathophysiology of valve bladder and its effect on the urinary tract at long term follow-up.