Pulmonary vein stenosis and the pathophysiology of “upstream” pulmonary veins

Extrapulmonic stenosis of the pulmonary veins.

Congenital stenosis of individual pulmonary veins.

CONGENITAL STENOSIS of individual pulmonary veins as they join the left atrium is a rare cause of pulmonary venous and arterial hypertension. Cases have been reported by Reye,1 Ferencz and Dammann,2 Andrews,3 Bernstein and associates,4 and Edwards.5' 6 Emslie-Smith and associates7 reported a patient with membranous occlusion of the pulmonary veins associated with pulmonary hypertension. The pur...

Congenital and acquired pulmonary vein stenosis.

Pulmonary vein stenosis is a fascinating yet frustrating and difficult to manage condition with an exceptionally high mortality rate. Until recently, the disease was seen almost exclusively in young children with or without various forms of congenital heart disease. Pulmonary vein stenosis is a relatively rare condition. In most published series from large centers, there has been an average of ...

Percutaneous Pulmonary Vein Angioplasty for the Pulmonary Vein Stenosis After Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

Pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the frequent complications. Percutaneous PV angioplasty and stent implantation have been used as an effective therapy for this condition, yet the in-stent restenosis rate tends to increase after stent implantation at the stenotic PVs. This seems to be caused by neointimal hyperplasia...

Percutaneous pulmonary vein stenting for the treatment of severe stenosis after pulmonary vein isolation.

INTRODUCTION Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a potential complication of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using radiofrequency energy. The aim of our study was the evaluation of the severity and long-term outcome of primary angioplasty and angioplasty with pulmonary vein stenting for PVS. METHODS AND RESULTS Twelve patients with 15 PVS (greater than 70% stenosis) were prospectively evaluated. ...