What Are Posterior Urethral Valves

So, what are posturethral valves? They are an embryological remnant in the urethra. They only occur in males because the male urethra derives from two separate distinct embryological structures. And when that membrane fails to involute, it can present as an obstructing force that prevents the emptying of the bladder. The urinary tract develops starting at around 6 weeks of pregnancy, and by about the 14th week of pregnancy, the urinary tract is fully developed in terms of all the components that need to be there. The maturation and recruitment of the nephrons continues all the way through gestation until the baby is born. Because this obstruction is at the common outlet of the urinary tract, everything upstream has the potential to be involved. And it really is impressive to us that these membranes are so thin, but the amount of devastation they can cause is very significant. The um original urologists who came up with this terminology valves use that term valve because they were able to put catheters and other instruments into the baby's bladder, but the urine wouldn't come out, so they thought this was acting like a one-way valve.