Multimodality Imaging of the Neglected Valve: Role of Echocardiography, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Cardiac Computed Tomography in Pulmonary Stenosis and Regurgitation

Abstract

The pulmonary valve (PV) is the least imaged among the heart valves. However, pulmonary regurgitation (PR) and pulmonary stenosis (PS) can occur in a variety of patients ranging from fetuses, newborns (e.g., tetralogy of Fallot) to adults (e.g., endocarditis, carcinoid syndrome, complications of operated tetralogy of Fallot). Due to their complexity, PR and PS are studied using multimodality imaging to assess their mechanism, severity, and hemodynamic consequences. Multimodality imaging is crucial to plan the correct management and to follow up patients with pulmonary valvulopathy. Echocardiography remains the first line methodology to assess patients with PR and PS, but the information obtained with this technique are often integrated with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and computed tomography (CT). This state-of-the-art review aims to provide an updated overview of the usefulness, strengths, and limits of multimodality imaging in patients with PR and PS.