[Natural history and surgical treatment of pulmonary stenosis. Review of 91 cases].

The natural history of valvular pulmonary stenosis is modified by the surgical treatment of these patients. In order to assess these changes we studied the clinical and hemodynamic features of 91 patients that were treated surgically. Hemodynamic studies were performed postoperatively in 62 of them. All patients had preoperatively a right ventricular systolic pressure above 70 mm Hg and were divided into three groups according to the transvalvular gradient. The first group had less than 50 mm Hg, the second group between 50 and 80 mm Hg, and the third group more than 80 mm Hg gradient. Correlation of these values with asymptomatic (49 patients) and with symptomatic (42 patients) cases showed significant values (p less than 0.001). Postoperatively only 2 patients remained with mild degree effort dyspnea. There was also a significant correlation (p less than 0.005) between the systolic gradient and the cardiothoracic ratio in the studied groups. The T wave in lead VF showed a predictive value in relation to the systolic gradient (p less than 0.001). Reduction of the systolic gradient after surgery showed very significant values when compared to the preoperative gradient (p less than 0.001). The overall mortality was 5.5%.