Bladder diverticula in children

Abstract

Purpose: The frequency, number, and underlying associations of bladder diverticula were studied in a pediatric population.

Materials and methods: Eighty-five children with bladder diverticula (31 girls and 54 boys) were retrospectively identified in a pediatric genitourinary data base of 5,084 children.

Results: Primary bladder diverticula were seen in 20 children with vesicoureteral reflux and 14 children without reflux. Fifty-one of the 85 children (60%) had associated neurogenic dysfunction of the bladder (n = 26), outlet obstruction (n = 14), or a syndrome (n = 9) or were postoperative (n = 2). A single child of the 26 with multiple bladder diverticula had no associated condition.

Conclusion: In this population, bladder diverticula were found in 1.7% of the children. The presence of more than one diverticulum on a side was usually associated with neurogenic dysfunction of the bladder, bladder outlet obstruction, or syndromes such as Williams, Menkes, prune-belly, or Ehlers-Danlos type 9 syndromes.