Pulmonary Valve Stenosis Child

Causes

This problem is present at birth. It happens when the valve has not developed as it should. It is not known why this happens. Genes, the environment, and dietary factors may play a role.

Risk Factors

Things that may raise the risk of this problem are:

• Family history of congenital heart defect
• Other heart defects
• Certain chromosomal disorders

Symptoms

Problems may be mild to severe. They may be:

• Heavy or rapid breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Blue or pale gray skin color
• Lack of energy
• Rapid heartbeat
• Swelling of the feet, ankles, eyelids, and belly
• Passing urine less often

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your child’s symptoms and health history. A physical exam will be done. The doctor may suspect a problem with a heart valve if there is a heart murmur.

Images will be taken to confirm the diagnosis. This can be done with:

• Chest x-ray
• Echocardiogram
• MRI scan
• CT scan

Treatment

Mild stenosis may not need treatment right away. The doctor will monitor the child for any changes.

In others, the goal of treatment is to ease symptoms and prevent damage. Activity levels may need to be lowered.

Surgery may be done to repair or replace the problem valve. Choices are:

• Balloon valvuloplasty to pass a balloon to the valve and inflate it to open the valve
• Valve replacement to remove the problem valve and put a mechanical or tissue valve in its place
• Open heart surgery to repair valves that cannot be opened with other methods

Prevention

There are no known guidelines to prevent pulmonary valve stenosis.