Posterior urethral valves

Posterior urethral valves (PUV) are excess flaps of tissue in the urethra.

• This congenital (present at birth) condition occurs only in boys and affects about 1 in 8,000 babies.
   
• This excess tissue can block or reverse the flow of urine and can affect all of the urinary tract organs including the urethra, bladder, ureters and kidneys.
• T gans of the urinary tract become engorged with urine and swell, causing tissue and cell damage.
• The degree of urinary outflow obstruction will determine the severity of the condition.

Pioneering research

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston's Center for Genitourinary Tissue Engineering are looking into ways to apply tissue engineering techniques to treat children with posterior urethral valves, who may require reconstructive surgery of the urinary tract. Tissue engineering allows doctors to use the patient's own cells to grow new replacement tissue used to augment various parts of the urinary tract.