Primary vesicoureteral reflux in blacks with posterior urethral valves: does it occur?

Primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is thought to be largely independent of obstruction. Therefore, in patients with urethral obstruction due to posterior urethral valves (PUV) the occurrence of VUR is coincidental. In addition, primary VUR is reported to be uncommon in black children. If these two premises are correct, then primary VUR should be rare in black males with PUV. To test this hypothesis, we reviewed the medical records and radiographs of 43 males with PUV. Twenty-one of the 37 non-black males with PUV had VUR, of which 67% was primary and 33% was secondary. Three of the six blacks with PUV had VUR of which all was secondary. Thus, blacks with PUV lend credence to the theory that primary VUR is not caused by obstruction and support the observation that primary VUR is rare in black children, even those with PUV.