PEDIATRICS Vol. 74 No. 5 November 1984, pp. 900
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Pathogenesis of Prune-Belly Syndrome

PHILIPPE MOERMAN MD1

1 Department of Pathology I, University Hospital St-Rafaël, Minderbroedersstraat 12, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium

We thank Barr and Burdi for their comment on our paper.1 Since the reports of Pagon et al2 and Monie and Monie,3 it seems an established fact that the features of the prune-belly syndrome are caused by a urethral obstruction. However, an anatomic urethral obstruction is not found in most cases of prune-belly syndrome. In these patients, prostatic hypoplasia and cystic dilation of the prostatic urethra are constantly present. The most pertinent question is now indeed, whether the prostatic hypoplasia is the cause or the effect of the urethral dilation.