A heart condition in which the outflow of blood from the right ventricle is obstructed, causing the heart to work harder to pump blood to the lungs. The obstruction may be caused by narrowing of the pulmonary valve at the exit of the ventricle; by narrowing of the pulmonary artery, which carries blood to the lungs; or by narrowing of the upper part of the ventricle. Pulmonary stenosis is usually congenital, and may occur alone or with a set of heart defects called the tetralogy of Fallot. Rarely, the stenosis develops later in life, after rheumatic fever, and may cause symptoms of heart failure. Diagnosis is made by a chest X-ray, ECG, echocardiography, and Doppler ultrasound scanning. A balloon catheter may relieve the narrowing. Otherwise, heart-valve surgery or other types of open heart surgery are often successful.
Pulmonary stenosis |
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