Bladder diverticulum: clinicopathologic spectrum in pediatric patients

Urinary bladder diverticula are a relatively rare finding in both the adult and pediatric population. Their presence in the adult population has long been associated with the development of urothelial carcinoma within the lesion. Our goal is to analyze a relatively large pediatric patient population with urinary bladder diverticula to expand the body of knowledge on the associated clinical symptomatology, congenital syndromes associated with the entity, and treatment methods and to further investigate if there is any reason to suspect malignant transformation within the pediatric population. A search for pediatric patients (0-19 years of age) from 1990 to 2011 revealed 47 patients with 60 diverticula within the specified age range. Clinical records and histologic slides for all cases were pulled for review, and statistical analysis was performed on the results. The most common findings were vesicoureteral reflux (68%), recurrent urinary tract infection (55%), and hydronephrosis (40%). Fourteen of 47 (30%) patients had an associated congenital syndrome/malformation. Diverticular size range was 0.5-10 cm with a mean of 2.56 cm. No patient was found to have overt malignancy or dysplastic changes within the diverticula or bladder at the time of pathologic evaluation. High association with recognizable clinical symptoms and additional urinary tract abnormalities leads to early identification and treatment. A sizable percentage of those found to have bladder diverticula within the pediatric population will have a congenital syndrome. No association with malignancy is seen within pediatric bladder diverticula; it is an extremely unlikely event in these young patients.