Description

The pulmonary valve disease is a type of heart valve disease. Affects the valve between the heart's lower right chamber and the artery that takes blood to the lungs. Of the artery called the pulmonary artery. The valve is called the pulmonic valve.

A diseased or damaged of the pulmonary valve does not work the way it should. This changes the way in which the blood flows from the heart to the lungs.

Types of pulmonary valve disease include:

  • Stenosis of the pulmonary valve. The valve will close. This reduces the flow of blood from the heart to the pulmonary artery and the lungs.
  • Regurgitation of the pulmonary valve. The leaflets of the pulmonary valve does not close tightly. The blood moves back into the right lower chamber of the heart, called the right ventricle.
  • Pulmonary atresia. This condition is present at birth. That means that it is a congenital defect of the heart. The pulmonary valve is not formed. In its place, a solid sheet of tissue that blocks the flow of blood from the right side of the heart. The blood can't go to the lungs to pick up oxygen.

Symptoms

The symptoms of the pulmonary valve of the disease depend on each state of the valves and how much blood flow is changed or blocked. Some babies are born with pulmonary valve disease. Symptoms may be noticed shortly after birth. But sometimes the symptoms are not seen until later in life.

In general, pulmonary valve, the symptoms of the disease may include:

  • Pain in the chest.
  • Shortness of breath at rest or when active or lying down.
  • Fatigue.
  • Fainting.

Babies who are born with pulmonary valve disease can have blue, or the grey of the skin due to low oxygen levels. Depending on the color of the skin, these changes may be more difficult or more easy to see.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment for a health checkup if you or your child has:

  • Shortness of breath.
  • Pain in the chest.
  • Fainting.

Call 911 or the local emergency number if the chest pain is sudden or can not be explained.

Rapid diagnosis and treatment of the pulmonary valve, the disease can help to reduce the risk of complications.

Causes

Normally, the pulmonary valve disease is caused by a heart condition that develops before birth is called a congenital defect of the heart. But of the pulmonary valve disease can occur later in life as a complication of another disease.

To understand how the pulmonary valve disease occurs, it might help to know how the valve works.

The pulmonary valve is as a way of the gate of the lower right part of the heart of the camera, called the right ventricle to the lungs. The blood usually flows from the chamber, through the pulmonary valve into the lungs. The blood receives oxygen in the lungs to take to the body.

When the pulmonary valve doesn't work as it should, the heart must work harder to pump blood to the lungs. The extra work can cause the right ventricle to be thick.

Risk factors

Things that may increase the risk of pulmonary valve disease are:

  • A condition of the heart that is born with, also called a congenital defect of the heart. Some congenital heart defects affect the shape of the pulmonary valve and how it works.
  • The carcinoid syndrome. This condition occurs when a rare cancerous tumor sends chemicals into the bloodstream. It can cause heart disease, carcinoid, which commonly damage to the tricuspid and pulmonary valves.
  • Chest injury. An injury in the chest, such as a car accident, it can cause damage that leads to regurgitation of the pulmonary valve.
  • German measles, also called rubeola. Having rubella during pregnancy increases the risk of pulmonary valve stenosis in the baby.
  • The infection of the heart lining and valves of the heart, also called endocarditis. This condition can damage the pulmonary valve. IV drug abuse makes a person more susceptible to developing endocarditis.
  • The Noonan syndrome. This condition is caused by changes in genes. Pulmonary valve stenosis is a frequent complication of the heart in persons with Noonan syndrome.

Diagnosis

Some types of pulmonary valve stenosis diagnosed at birth or shortly after. But sometimes, the pulmonary valve disease is not realized until later in life.

To diagnose the pulmonary valve disease, a health care professional is using a stethoscope to listen to the heart. A whooshing sound called a heart murmur can be heard.

Tests

Tests are done to check the heart and to confirm a diagnosis of the pulmonary valve disease. Tests may include:

  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This quick and painless test shows how the heart is beating. Adhesive patches with sensors, called electrodes, to attach in the chest and sometimes the arms and legs. The wires connect the electrodes to a computer, that prints or displays the results.
  • The echocardiogram. The sound waves create images of the heart. An echocardiogram shows the flow of blood through the heart and the heart valves. You can show the shape of the pulmonary valve.
  • X-ray of the chest. A chest x-ray shows the heart and lungs. You can know whether the heart is larger than normal or if there is fluid around the lungs. Some types of heart valve disease can cause accumulation of fluid.
  • The cardiac catheterization. This test is not often used to diagnose heart valve disease. But that can be done to tell how severe pulmonary valve disease is. A long, thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel, usually in the groin or wrist. Is guided into the heart. Contrast dye flows through the catheter into the arteries in the heart. The dye helps the arteries to show up more clearly on X-ray images and video.
  • Other imaging tests. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans are sometimes used to confirm the pulmonary valve disease, such as stenosis.

Heart valve disease stages

After the test confirms the diagnosis of heart valve disease, your health care team can tell you that the stage of the disease. Staging helps to determine the most appropriate treatment.

The stage of heart valve disease depends on many things, including symptoms, severity of the disease, the structure of the valve or valves and the flow of blood through the heart and lungs.

Heart valve disease is staged in four basic groups:

  • Stage A: At risk. Risk factors for heart valve disease are present.
  • Stage B: Progressive. Valve disease is mild or moderate. No valve of the heart of the symptoms.
  • C-stage: Asymptomatic severe. There is no heart valve symptoms, but the disease of the valve is severe.
  • Stage D: Symptomatic severe. Heart valve disease is severe and is causing the symptoms.

Treatment

The pulmonary valve disease treatment depends on:

  • Symptoms.
  • The stage of the disease.
  • If the disease is getting worse.

Treatment may include:

  • Regular medical checkups.
  • Surgery to repair or replace the valve.

If the symptoms are mild, the only treatment that can be a regular health checkups and imaging tests to see how well the heart is functioning..

Surgeries or other procedures

Surgery or other treatment may be needed to repair or replace the pulmonary valve.

The decision to repair or replace the damaged pulmonary valve depends on many things, including:

  • The stage of the pulmonary valve disease.
  • Symptoms.
  • The age and general state of health.
  • Whether or not the condition is getting worse.
  • If surgery is needed to correct another of the valve or of the condition of the heart.

Pulmonary valve surgery can be performed at the same time that other valves of the heart surgeries. In general, the surgeons recommend the pulmonary valve repair whenever possible, as that keeps the valves of the heart and improves the function of the heart.

Types of surgery or procedures that are used to treat the pulmonary valve disease include:

  • The balloon valvuloplasty. This treatment is often used to treat infants and children with a narrowing of the pulmonary valve. During balloon valvuloplasty, a surgeon places a thin, hollow tube called a catheter into a blood vessel, usually in the groin area, and the guide for the heart. A balloon on the tip of the catheter is inflated, which makes the valve opening wider. The balloon is deflated and removed.
  • Pulmonary valve replacement surgery. If the pulmonary valve can't be fixed, a surgeon can replace the valve with a mechanical valve or one cow, pig or human heart tissue. A tissue valve is also called a biological tissue valve.
  • Transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement. Sometimes, the pulmonary valve may be replaced with a minimally invasive procedure, which uses a thin, flexible tubes and smaller surgical cuts. A transcatheter procedure can also be used to place a new pulmonary valve in which previously replaced the valve that is failing. This is called a valve-in-valve procedure.
Symptoms and treatment of the disease of the Pulmonary valve