Posterior Urethral Valve Syndrome: An Uncommon Cause of Intrauterine Fetal Death

A posterior urethral valve is an obstructing membrane in the posterior part of male urethra leading to renal failure and death occurring in 1:5000 to 8000 male live births. The incidence of intrauterine deaths related to posterior urethral valve is under reported. The cause for the occurrence is unclear. Posterior Urethral Valve syndrome is a syndrome of obstructive uropathy resulting in hypertrophy of bladder, ureters and dysplasia of the kidneys. Prenatal ultrasonography is a gold standard diagnostic tool. The fetal autopsy conducted over the case presented here demonstrates all the classical findings of the obstructive uropathy (renal dysplasia, hydronephrosis, bladder hypertrophy, hydro ureters). The case reiterates the importance of prenatal ultrasonography and meticulous fetal autopsy to determine the cause of intra uterine fetal death.