Key result
Cadaveric dissection reveals a rare Hurwitz type F quadricuspid pulmonary valve without pulmonary stenosis.
Why the study?
Quadricuspid pulmonary valve is a rare congenital anomaly that is likely underrecognized clinically, with a limited body of literature on its rarest variations.
Case Report (n=1)
This cadaveric case report highlights the morphological features of a rare Hurwitz type F quadricuspid pulmonary valve, emphasizing the importance of recognizing QPV variants for accurate diagnosis and surgical planning.
QPV remains likely underrecognized clinically; this single cadaveric case extends anatomic descriptions but leaves open any role in living patients.
A quadricuspid pulmonary valve (QPV) is a rare congenital anomaly resulting from abnormal semilunar valvulogenesis during embryonic development. Most reported cases are identified incidentally at autopsy, and the condition remains likely underrecognized clinically because of the pulmonary valve’s retrosternal location and limited visualization on transthoracic echocardiography. We report a cadaveric case of a Hurwitz type F QPV identified during a routine dissection of a 78-year-old female donor. Gross examination revealed two larger cusps and two unequal smaller anterior cusps associated with mild dilation of the pulmonary trunk. No evidence of pulmonary stenosis, right ventricular hypertrophy, or pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) was observed. This report reviews the embryologic basis, morphologic classification, diagnostic challenges, clinical associations, and management considerations of QPV. Although many QPVs remain asymptomatic, the anomaly has been associated with congenital cardiac defects, pulmonary regurgitation, PAA, and rare surgical implications, including use in the Ross procedure. Recognition of QPV variants is important for accurate diagnosis, risk assessment, and individualized surgical planning. We aim to contribute to the currently limited body of literature relating to this uncommon anomaly with cadaveric insights of one of the rarest variations of the QPV.
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Omari et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Quadricuspid pulmonary valve (n=1). Quadricuspid pulmonary valve was evaluated on Morphological description of the pulmonary valve. A rare Hurwitz type F quadricuspid pulmonary valve, characterized by two large cusps and two unequal smaller anterior cusps, was identified during cadaveric dissection with no evidence of pulmonary stenosis.
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