Pulmonary Vein Stenosis Program

With more than half a century of experience in caring for children's hearts, the Heart Center at Texas Children's Hospital combines cutting-edge technology with a compassionate and family-centered approach to pediatric cardiac care.  Texas Children’s Hospital is ranked #1 in the nation for Cardiology & Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report and one of the reasons our program ranks so highly is the fact that we specialize in rare and complex conditions, including pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS). 

Pulmonary vein stenosis is a unique and serious condition that requires the attention of a focused group of professionals. We created the Pulmonary Vein Stenosis Program to partner with parents to bring the highest level of expertise to the bedside. We believe that optimal care for patients with PVS is based upon orchestrating a range of surgical and catheter-based treatment plans. Our program consists of a nurse coordinator, seven interventional cardiologists, two nurse practitioners, experts in pulmonary hypertension and the chief of congenital heart surgery. This collaborative approach ensures that all available therapeutic approaches are available to address the needs of every patient.

Our team members have dedicated their careers to improving outcomes for patients with pulmonary vein stenosis. We have also advanced the medical field with numerous publications and consistently share our findings with colleagues across the world. Additionally, our surgeons and interventional cardiologists pioneered new techniques that have led to improved outcomes for patients with PVS. Our team holds weekly multi-disciplinary review and planning sessions for our patients, coordinates innovative multidisciplinary treatments and long term follow-up to ensure each unique patient receives the best possible care.

What is pulmonary vein stenosis?

The heart delivers de-oxygenated blood to the lungs through the pulmonary artery. Oxygenated blood then returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins. There are typically three right-sided pulmonary veins and two left-sided pulmonary veins. When these veins are narrow (stenotic) or blocked (atretic), this condition is called pulmonary vein stenosis. 

What causes pulmonary vein stenosis?

PVS is a rare condition and the exact cause is unknown. A person can have this condition from birth, develop this condition after another heart surgery or develop the condition from problems related to the lungs. At any time, a patient can have stenosis or atresia in one, multiple or all pulmonary veins.

How is pulmonary vein stenosis treated?

At Texas Children’s Hospital, pulmonary vein stenosis is treated with a combination of cardiac catheterization-based procedures, cardiac surgery and drug therapy. Because PVS can recur, long-term monitoring by our team is of utmost importance. When patients are referred from across the country or the world, we have the ability to successfully coordinate surveillance through collaboration with referring physicians.

Contact Information

Krista D. Caldwell, MSN, RN
Pulmonary Vein Stenosis Coordinator
Office: 832-826-1753
pvs@texaschildrens.org