Pre- and Postoperative Rest and Exercise Hemodynamics in Children with Pulmonary Stenosis

Twenty children with pulmonary valvular stenosis were studied by cardiac catheterization both at rest and during submaximal supine exercise, prior to and following pulmonary valvotomy. The resting and exercise states were comparable preoperatively and postoperatively since cardiac output, heart rate, A - V O 2 difference and oxygen consumption were similar. Evidence of improved cardiac function was found postoperatively. Both the rest and the exercise right ventricular end-diastolic pressure (RVEDP) decreased significantly following pulmonary valvotomy. Preoperatively, 12 of 20 patients showed an increase in RVEDP with exercise; in six of these there was a simultaneous fall in stroke index, indicating impaired myocardial function. No patient showed this response postoperatively. This indicates that although altered cardiac function can be demonstrated in some children with pulmonary valvular stenosis, it is reversible by pulmonary valvotomy. This is in contrast to studies in adults, and suggests that a factor in the natural history of pulmonary valvular stenosis is the impact of chronically elevated afterload on the right ventricle. Hemodynamic measurements made during exercise provide a useful means of assessing patients with pulmonary stenosis before and after pulmonary valvotomy.