Pulmonary Stenosis – Symptoms, Treatment, Valve Surgery

March 24th, 2008

Although it is not the most common form of heart valve disease, pulmonary stenosis is a clinical diagnosis which may require surgical treatment. Similar to aortic stenosis, the severity of pulmonary stenosis will ultimate determine whether or not surgical treatment is a heart valve repair or heart valve replacement. That said, pulmonary stenosis can be mild or severe.

According to the American Heart Association, a normal pulmonary valve has three leaflets. If these leaflets are malformed, the valve may become narrowed (stenotic) or leaky (insufficient).

Pulmonary stenosis can ultimately trigger many different heart valve disorder symptoms including:

Shortness of breath, especially with exertion or when you lie down
Fatigue, especially during times of increased activity
Cough, especially at night or when lying down
Heart palpitations — sensations of a rapid, fluttering heartbeat
Swollen feet or ankles
Heart murmur
Chest pain (angina) or tightness
Feeling faint or fainting with exertion
Dizziness

Like most heart valve disorders, pulmonary valve stenosis can be a congenital condition. According to the University of Virginia, pulmonary stenosis occurs due to the abnormal development of the fetal heart during the first eight weeks of pregnancy.

As shown in the in this earlier blog, What Do Normal Heart Valves Look Like, the pulmonary valve is found between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. It has three leaflets that function like a one-way door, allowing blood to flow forward into the pulmonary artery, but not backward into the right ventricle.

As with diagnosing aortic stenosis, a series of exams are conducted by your cardiologist and reviewed by your surgeon prior to any surgical treatment of pulmonary stenosis.

I hope this helps you better understand the valvular disease known as pulmonary stenosis.

Keep on tickin!

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates clinical research with the personal experiences of 135 former patients to help future patients and their caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.