Posterior urethral valve: Prognostic factors and renal outcome

The aim was to study the outcome of posterior urethral valve (PUV) cases treated by stepladder protocol and the prognostic factors affecting the outcome.

Hospital records of all PUV patients treated by stepladder protocol between January 1992 and December 2013 were reviewed. The studied parameters were: Age at presentation, serum creatinine, types of surgical intervention, vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) on initial voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), renal cortical scars, plasma renin activity (PRA), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Of 396 PUV patients treated during the study period, 152 satisfied study criteria. The age at presentation ranged from 2 days to 15 years (mean 31.3 months). The mean follow-up period was 5 years (range: 2-18 years). Primary endoscopic valve ablation was the most common initial procedure. Chronic renal failure was seen in 42.7% patients at the last follow-up. Serum creatinine at presentation, initial PRA levels, initial GFR, and PRA levels at last follow-up were significant predictors of final renal outcome. Age at presentation (<1 vs. >1 year), presence/absence of VUR on initial VCUG and renal cortical scars had no significant correlation with ultimate renal function.

Our study confirms the high prognostic significance of initial serum creatinine, PRA levels and GFR in cases with PUV. PRA also holds promise in long-term follow-up of these patients as a marker of progressive renal damage.