Genitourinary anomaly in congenital varicella syndrome: case report and review

Abstract

We describe a 1-year-old boy with congenital varicella syndrome who had vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and neurogenic bladder. His mother had varicella during the 3rd month of pregnancy. At birth the patient presented with right microphthalmia, right microcornea, and persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous of the right eye. He had chronic constipation from 3 months of age. He had urinary tract infection at 1 year of age. Urological investigation revealed left grade V VUR and neurogenic bladder. His varicella zoster virus IgG titer measured by ELISA was 39.4 antibody index (normal <0.1). He had repeated episodes of urinary tract infection despite antibiotic prophylaxis and clean intermittent catheterization, and underwent a uretero-vesiconeostomy at 2 years of age. Maternal infection during early pregnancy and the serological evidence of varicella zoster IgG antibodies without a history of varicella after birth led to the diagnosis of congenital varicella syndrome. Urogenital anomalies have previously been described in 14 cases of congenital varicella syndrome. Most of these patients had neurogenic bladder, the pathophysiology of which could be explained by the known neurotropic nature of the virus.