PATHOLOGY OF PULMONIC VALVE STENOSIS AND PURE REGURGITATION

Little morphologic information is available on operatively excised pul monic valves. The causes of pulmonic stenosis are limited to a few con ditions: (1) rheumatic and (2) non-rheumatic (congenital, carcinoid, i nfective endocarditis). Congenital causes of pulmonic stenosis constit ute well over 95% of these conditions. Congenital types of pulmonic st enosis include acommissural dome-shaped, dysplastic, and bicuspid. Rar e acquired causes of pulmonic stenosis include carcinoid, rheumatic, a nd infective endocarditis. Of the acquired causes of pulmonic stenosis , carcinoid is the most common condition. In contrast, causes of pure pulmonic regurgitation are multiple. Two major categories of pure pulm onic regurgitation include (1) conditions associated with anatomically abnormal valve cusps (congenital, rheumatic, carcinoid, trauma, and i nfective endocarditis) and (2) conditions associated with anatomically normal cusps (elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressures, idiopathi c dilated pulmonary trunk, and Marfan's syndrome).