{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T05:18:35Z","timestamp":1787635115960,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787616000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Urol."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Prune Belly Syndrome (PBS) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by abdominal wall deficiency, urinary tract dilatation, and bilateral cryptorchidism. Its pathogenesis remains controversial, with both developmental and mechanical theories proposed. Whether early fetal decompression influences the phenotypic expression of PBS has not been established.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Case presentation<\/jats:title>\n \n We report a male fetus diagnosed at 12 weeks\u2019 gestation with severe megacystis and bilateral hydroureteronephrosis. A Somatex\n \u00ae<\/jats:sup>\n vesicoamniotic shunt was placed at 16 weeks because of progressive lower urinary tract obstruction. Prenatal follow-up demonstrated complete resolution of upper urinary tract dilatation and persistent bladder decompression throughout pregnancy. After birth, the patient presented bilateral cryptorchidism and mild abdominal wall weakness but preserved renal morphology and function. Voiding cystourethrography showed high-grade bilateral vesicoureteral reflux, and diagnostic cystoscopy excluded posterior urethral valves and urethral atresia, supporting the diagnosis of Pseudo\u2013Prune Belly Syndrome (PPBS). At 6 months of follow-up, the patient remains asymptomatic, with no urinary tract infections, spontaneous bilateral testicular descent, stable abdominal wall weakness, normal renal growth, and preserved renal function.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n This case illustrates a favorable early outcome following prenatal vesicoamniotic shunting in a fetus with severe lower urinary tract obstruction who subsequently developed an attenuated phenotype consistent with PPBS. Although causality cannot be inferred from a single observation, these findings are consistent with the fetal outlet obstruction hypothesis and raise the possibility that early fetal decompression may influence phenotypic expression in selected patients. Further studies are required to clarify the role of prenatal intervention in the pathogenesis and clinical spectrum of PBS.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fruro.2026.1919700","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T04:22:48Z","timestamp":1787631768000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Case Report: Pseudo-prune belly syndrome after early fetal bladder decompression: implications for the pathogenesis of prune belly spectrum disorders"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Alberto","family":"Parente","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Surgery Department, Reina Sofia University Hospital","place":["C\u00f3rdoba, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mercedes","family":"Fari\u00f1as","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Department, Reina Sofia University Hospital","place":["C\u00f3rdoba, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Monica","family":"Mi\u00f1o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, Reina Sofia University Hospital","place":["C\u00f3rdoba, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francisca Sonia","family":"Molina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Universitario Cl\u00ednico San Cecilio","place":["Granada, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1053\/spsu.2000.7556","article-title":"Prune belly syndrome","volume":"9","author":"Jennings","year":"2000","journal-title":"Semin Pediatr Surg"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2174\/0115733963285237240524042142","article-title":"Prune-belly syndrome: an update","volume":"21","author":"Conegundes","year":"2025","journal-title":"Curr Pediatr Rev"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.urology.2009.12.072","article-title":"Contemporary epidemiology and characterization of newborn males with prune belly syndrome","volume":"76","author":"Routh","year":"2010","journal-title":"Urology"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.radcr.2019.05.019","article-title":"Pseudo prune belly syndrome: a case report with unilateral abdominal defect","volume":"14","author":"De Bernardo","year":"2019","journal-title":"Radiol Case Rep"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bcr-2020-236611","article-title":"Unusual variant of pseudo prune belly syndrome","volume":"13","author":"Loganathan","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMJ Case Rep"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1016\/s0094-0143(21)00020-3","article-title":"The prune belly syndrome","volume":"5","author":"Woodard","year":"1978","journal-title":"Urol Clin North Am"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00404-022-06905-6","article-title":"Single-center outcome analysis of 46 fetuses with megacystis after intrauterine vesico-amniotic shunting with the Somatex\u00ae intrauterine shunt","volume":"309","author":"Gottschalk","year":"2024","journal-title":"Arch Gynecol Obstet"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.purol.2008.04.003","article-title":"Prune belly syndrome: epidemiologic, clinical, and therapeutic aspects","volume":"18","author":"Diao","year":"2008","journal-title":"Prog Urol"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4081\/pr.2012.e20","article-title":"The prune belly syndrome: urological aspects and long-term outcomes of a rare disease","volume":"4","author":"Zugor","year":"2012","journal-title":"Pediatr Rep"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/01.ANC.0000278211.95767.05","article-title":"Prune belly syndrome. A focused physical assessment","volume":"7","author":"Woods","year":"2007","journal-title":"Adv Neonatal Care"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clp.2014.05.012","article-title":"Lower urinary tract obstruction in the fetus and neonate","volume":"41","author":"Clayton","year":"2014","journal-title":"Clin Perinatol"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0022-3468(90)90083-L","article-title":"Early bladder outlet obstruction in fetal lambs induces renal dysplasia and the prune-belly syndrome","volume":"25","author":"Gonzalez","year":"1990","journal-title":"J\u00a0Pediatr Surg"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Urology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fruro.2026.1919700\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T04:22:49Z","timestamp":1787631769000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fruro.2026.1919700\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"references-count":12,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fruro.2026.1919700"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fruro.2026.1919700","relation":{},"ISSN":["2673-9828"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2673-9828","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"article-number":"1919700"}}