Acquired pulmonary stenosis and pulmonary artery compression

Three patients suffering from acquired pulmonary stenosis are described resulting from compression of the main pulmonary artery by anterior mediastinal teratoma, Hodgkin's disease, and aneurysm of the ascending aorta, respectively; also four others who had compression of the right or left primary branch of the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery compression was demonstrated angiographically in every case, and in the patient with right and left pulmonary artery compression the main pulmonary artery pressure tracing was characteristic of bilateral pulmonary artery stenosis. Cardiac catheterization and selective angiography are indicated in patients who have evidence of right ventricular outflow obstruction to determine the site and severity of the obstruction and to differentiate between extrinsic compression and intrinsic stenosis. There are two main types of acquired pulmonary stenosis; both are rare. The first is due to intrinsic disease of the pulmonary valve itself. The second results from extrinsic compression of the pulmo-nary artery and it is this with which we are concerned here. We believe it to be more commo