Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

Pulmonary valve stenosis is a narrowing of the pulmonary valve that regulates the flow of blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. This congenital heart defect may force the heart to pump harder, leading to an enlarged heart.

The heart consists of four chambers — two upper chambers, called atria, where blood enters the heart, and two lower chambers, called ventricles, where blood is pumped out of the heart. The flow between the chambers is controlled by a set of valves that act as one-way doors.

Normally, blood is pumped from the right side of the heart through the pulmonary valve and the pulmonary artery to the lungs, where the blood is filled with oxygen. From the lungs, the blood travels back to the left chambers. The oxygenated blood is pumped to the rest of the body through a major blood vessel, called the aorta.

The pulmonary valve has three leaflets that work to open and close the valve. Pulmonary stenosis occurs when there is only one or two leaflets or if the leaflets are stuck together.

Children and adults with pulmonary valve stenosis often don't have symptoms until the condition becomes severe.

At UCSF Children's Hospital, our pediatric heart specialists are experts in diagnosing and treating pulmonary stenosis. This condition may be repaired by a non-surgical procedure, called a balloon valvuloplasty, in our Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. More severe cases may require open-heart surgery.

For more information or to make an appointment, please call:
Pediatric Heart Center (415) 353-2008

For help finding a doctor, please contact our Physician Referral Service:

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 25, 2007