1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Aim
The European Association of Urology (EAU) Paediatric Urology Guidelines Panel has prepared these Guidelines with the aim of increasing the quality of care for children with urological conditions. This Guideline document is limited to several common clinical pathologies in paediatric urological practice, as covering the entire field of paediatric urology in a single guideline document is unattainable.
Most urological clinical problems in children are specialised and, in many ways, differ to those in adults. This publication intends to outline a practical and preliminary approach to paediatric urological conditions. Complex and rare conditions that require special care with experienced doctors should be referred to designated centres in which paediatric urology practice has been fully established and a multidisciplinary team is available.
Over time, paediatric urology has developed and matured, establishing its diverse body of knowledge and expertise and may now be ready to distinguish itself from its parent specialties. Thus, paediatric urology has recently emerged in many European countries as a distinct subspecialty of both urology and paediatric surgery and presents a unique challenge, in the sense that it covers a large area with numerous schools of thought and a huge diversity in management.
Knowledge gained by increasing experience, new technological advances and non-invasive diagnostic screening modalities has had a profound influence on treatment modalities in paediatric urology - a trend that is likely to continue in the years to come.
It must be emphasised that, although clinical guidelines present the best evidence available to the experts, following guideline recommendations will not necessarily result in the best outcome. Guidelines can never replace clinical expertise when making treatment decisions for individual patients but rather help to focus decisions - also taking into account personal values and preferences/individual circumstances of children and their caregivers. Guidelines are not mandates and do not purport to be a legal standard of care.
1.2. Panel composition
The EAU Paediatric Urology Guidelines Panel consists of an international group of clinicians with specific expertise in this area. All experts involved in the production of this document have submitted potential conflict of interest statements, which can be viewed on the EAU Website: http://uroweb.org/guideline/paediatric-urology/.
1.3. Available publications
A quick reference document, the Pocket Guidelines, is available in print. The Pocket Guidelines is an abridged version of the Guidelines, which may require consultation together with the full-text version. Various translated versions, along with several scientific publications, are also available [1-17]. All documents are accessible through the EAU website Uroweb: http://uroweb.org/guideline/paediatric-urology/.
An EAU Guidelines app for iOS and Android devices is also available, containing the Pocket Guidelines, interactive algorithms and calculators, clinical decision support tools, Guidelines cheat sheets, and links to the extended guidelines.
1.4. Publication history
The Paediatric Urology Guidelines were first published in 2001 [18]. This 2026 publication includes several updated chapters and sections, as detailed in the following section.
1.5. Summary of changes
The literature for the complete document has been assessed and updated, wherever relevant. Key changes in the 2026 publication:
- Section 12: Urinary tract infections in children
- Section 14: Management of monosymptomatic enuresis
- Section 16: Dilatation of the upper urinary tract (PUJ obstruction)
- Section 19: Ureterocele and ectopic ureter
- Section 22.2: Rare conditions in childhood: papillary tumours of the bladder in children and adolescents
- Section 22.3 Rare conditions in childhood: penile rare conditions
- Section 28 Foetal urology (new section).