Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) presents symptoms gradually, leading to significant diagnostic delays and harmful effects on patients. A high index of suspicion and noninvasive evaluations are crucial to diagnosis, and a combination of noninvasive and invasive evaluation may provide further insights into the relative contribution of PVS symptoms, according to a review topic of the week published June 12 in JACC.

Trevor Simard, MD, David R. Holmes Jr, MD, MACC, et al., review the pathophysiology and epidemiology of PVS, along with its evaluation and management, specifically looking at various etiologies and symptoms as well as noninvasive and invasive evaluation. They also discuss various PV interventions, including balloon angioplasty and stent implantation, along with possible complications.

The authors note “noninvasive and invasive evaluation are invaluable to diagnose PVS and discern the functional importance of PVS,” and that “transcatheter interventions with balloon angioplasty and stent placement are viable therapeutic approaches. They go on to state there is a need for further studies to quantify the effectiveness of medical and device therapies in PVS.

Clinical Topics: Cardiovascular Care Team, Invasive Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention, Vascular Medicine, Interventions and Vascular Medicine

Keywords: Stents, Angioplasty, Balloon, Stenosis, Pulmonary Vein, Delayed Diagnosis

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