What are posterior urethral valves?

Also known as: PUV.

The urethra is the tube that connects the bladder to the tip of the penis in boys. Posterior urethral valve is a birth defect (congenital) where a baby is born with small, narrow urethral leaflets (valves) that have a very narrow opening (of varying size) which partially blocks the flow of urine leaving the bladder allowing urine in the bladder to “back up” causing damage to the urethra, bladder, ureters and kidneys.


Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM

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