Pulmonic Valve Regurgitation

Retrograde blood flow from the pulmonary artery into the right ventricle through an incompetent pulmonary valve.

Among the elderly, pulmonic valve regurgitation is rarely due to primary pulmonic valve disease. It is almost always a sequela of pulmonary hypertension, usually due to left-sided heart failure or to primary pulmonary disease. It is characterized by a high-pitched, blowing decrescendo diastolic murmur in the second and third intercostal space to the left of the sternum. Often, this murmur cannot be distinguished from the murmur of aortic regurgitation. Doppler echocardiography can help distinguish the two disorders.

Treatment is aimed at managing the underlying disorder and attempting to lower pulmonary artery pressure.