Find A Doctor Posterior Urethral Valves Posterior Urethral
Valves What are posterior urethral valves? Posterior urethral
valves, or PUV, is a congenital (from birth) condition that
happens only in boys. The condition happens when the urethra,
which is the tube that connects the bladder to the outside of
the body, has excess flaps of tissue in it. Liquid waste is
processed in the kidneys and then flows through a tube called
the ureter and into the bladder. The bladder holds urine until a
boy is ready to go to the bathroom. When the boy urinates, the
urine passes from the bladder through a tube in the penis called
the urethra, which leads to the outside of the body. When a
child has PUV, the excess tissue flaps in the urethra cause the
urine to back up or even to reverse back through the urethra,
bladder, ureter, and kidneys. This is called vesicoureteral
reflux (PDF). These organs swell with urine, which causes damage
to tissues and cells. What are symptoms of PUV? - An enlarged
bladder - A urinary tract infec