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» Stenosis of the pulmonary artery - Diagnosis, Treatment
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Stenosis of the pulmonary artery - Diagnosis, Treatment
Stenosis of the pulmonary artery - Diagnosis, Treatment
The pulmonaryartery carries venous blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. Congenital stenosis (narrowing) of the pulmonary artery occurs quite often. Its frequency from 6 to 10% of all congenital heart defects. If you decrease pulmonary artery pressure in the right ventricle increases, as the muscle of the right ventricle to greater effort, which would push the blood into the pulmonary artery. Because of the myocardium (heart muscle), right ventricular hypertrophy, while ejection of blood into the pulmonary artery is prolonged, disrupting the cycle of the heart.
The patient's condition and the current vice depend on the degree of narrowing. Those children who have a small degree of stenosis can grow and develop normally throughout life. If your child has severe degree of stenosis of the pulmonary artery, in the early days of his life there is cyanosis (blue coloration of the skin nasolabial triangle, nail plates, cyanosis of the lips) and the rapidly developing heart failure, which is virtually untreatable. In the absence of surgical treatment, half of these children die in their first year of life. More often than older patients complaining of shortness of breath on exertion or at rest.
In the diagnosis is important to listen to a rough systolic murmur over the heart. The same sound can be heard in the interscapular region. An electrocardiogram is determined by the load on the right heart. With a slight stenosis of the ECG may be normal. On radiographs are changes in the lungs. The main method of diagnosing an echocardiogram, which allows to determine the degree of narrowing of the pulmonary artery.
Pulmonary stenosis - Treatment
Tactics of treatment depends on the degree of stenosis of the pulmonary artery. If a child is born soon shows signs of narrowing of the pulmonary artery, it is assumed that the degree of stenosis is large, the operation can be carried out urgently. If the patient's condition is satisfactory, then the operation is performed later. The best timing for surgical treatment is considered to be the child's age 5-10 years. . If the degree of narrowing is small and the patient has no complaints, the operation is not performed. Surgical treatment is in a heart-lung machine. Made cut fused joints valves or cut-off overgrown muscle tissue.
Currently used in more gentle method of balloon valvuloplasty, when open-heart surgery is not performed.
Mortality in these operations does not exceed 2%. Results of surgical treatment are good. A child can go to school in 2-3 months after surgery. Physical activity should be restricted within one to two years.
