Evaluating the impact of pop-off mechanisms in boys with posterior urethral valves

INTRODUCTION: Posterior urethral valves are urethral leaflets that cause Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction (LUTO) in boys and are associated with congenital renal dysplasia and abnormal bladder function. They affect 1:4,000 to 1:25,000 births and can be responsible for End-Stage Renal Failure in childhood. There have been several studies on the effect of pop-off mechanisms in boys with posterior urethral valves, but results are contradictory. We aimed to assess and discuss the effect of pop-off mechanisms on renal function in a large cohort of patients. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Boys with PUV with and without pop-off mechanisms (urinoma, VURD or giant bladder diverticula) were divided into three severity groups for renal function according to their nadir creatinine (low-risk NC < 35 μmol/L, intermediate-risk NC between 35 and 75 μmol/L, and high-risk NC > 75 μmol/L). We compared children with and children without pop-off mechanisms for mean renal function as well as patient distribution within each severity group. RESULTS: We included 137 boys of which 39 had a pop-off mechanism. Patients had complete data for at least 5 years follow-up. Though there was no significant statistical difference in mean renal function between the pop-off and non-pop-off group, patient distribution within each severity group varied according to whether patients had a pop-off mechanism or not. CONCLUSION: Though there was no significant difference in mean renal function between boys with and without pop-off mechanisms, it is possible that these are two different patient populations and direct comparison is not possible.