Why it's done

Pulmonary valve disease treatment depends on the severity of your condition, whether you're experiencing signs and symptoms, and if your condition is getting worse.

For some people with mild pulmonary valve disease without symptoms, careful monitoring under a doctor's supervision may be all that's needed. But in many cases, pulmonary valve disease and dysfunction progress in adulthood and get worse without medical treatment.

Types of pulmonary valve disease that may require treatment with pulmonary valve repair or pulmonary valve replacement include:

• Pulmonary valve regurgitation. A leaky pulmonary valve allows blood to flow backward into the heart (pulmonary valve regurgitation) rather than directly to the lungs for oxygen.
• Pulmonary valve stenosis. In this condition, the pulmonary valve is thickened or obstructed, which makes it harder for it to open properly. As a result, the heart has to work harder to pump blood into the pulmonary artery and to the lungs.
• Pulmonary atresia. This is a congenital heart defect in which a child is born without a well-defined pulmonary valve. In pulmonary atresia, blood can't flow from the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery. The only blood flow to the lungs is through an open passageway between the pulmonary artery and the main artery supplying blood to the body (aorta).

The decision to repair or replace a damaged pulmonary valve depends on many factors, including:

• The severity of your pulmonary valve disease
• Your age and overall health
• Whether you need heart surgery to correct another heart problem in addition to pulmonary valve disease so both conditions can be treated at once

In general and whenever possible, pulmonary valve repair is the preferred option because it's associated with a lower risk of infection, preserves valve strength and function, and eliminates the need to take blood-thinning medications, which may be necessary with pulmonary valve replacement.