Can a congenital heart defect cause an adult to need a new pulmonary valve?

Many forms of congenital heart disease that are repaired in infancy and childhood involve surgery on the pulmonary valve. This is the valve that conducts blood from the heart’s lower right pumping chamber (the right ventricle) to the lungs. As a person ages, a pulmonary valve repaired in childhood may wear out and require replacement. Since these replacement valves do not grow with the child, they may become too small over time. These replacement valves can also become leaky, which puts extra strain on the right ventricle.

 Some congenital conditions that may require pulmonary valve replacement in adulthood are

•Tetralogy of Fallot

•Pulmonary atresia