What is Pulmonic Valvular Stenosis?

The valve separating the lungs from the right side of the heart (pulmonic valve) can become narrowed and create high pressures on the right side of the heart. This obstruction of blood flow to the lungs from the right heart leads to shortness of breath and fatigue and can result ultimately in right heart failure. Two current treatments exist for correcting the valve narrowing, surgical (open-chest/heart) and catheter-based (nonsurgical). Surgical correction involves valve replacement, whereas catheter-based treatment usually involves a balloon dilation of the narrowed valve to relieve the obstruction, balloon pulmonic valvuloplasty (BPV). In addition, catheter-based implantation of bioprosthetic valves is being performed at selected sites. Both are safe and effective ways of managing pulmonic stenosis and both prevent the adverse effects described above.