Types of Stenosis

Stenosis is a medical condition that causes blood vessels and other internal tubes to narrow. The different types of stenosis affect different parts of the body. Various causes of stenosis include birth defects, infection, inflammation, smoking and atherosclerosis. In order to diagnose the different types of stenosis, doctors use stethoscopes to listen for sounds caused by the blood's difficulty moving though the body's various vessels. To confirm that the sounds are the result of stenosis, they use medical imaging.

Spinal Stenosis

• Spinal stenosis is the type that causes the spinal canal to narrow. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases states that spinal stenosis primarily affects people older than 50 who suffer from arthritis, or younger people who have scoliosis. Symptoms of this condition include numbness or weakness in the back, pain in the arms, legs, neck, and back, and foot problems. Doctors recommend medication physical therapy and spinal braces.

Mitral Valve Stenosis

• The U.S. National Library of Medicine defines this type of stenosis as a condition that narrows or blocks the mitral valve of the heart, preventing blood from moving through the various chambers of the heart. Blood that can't flow through the heart backs up into the lungs, resulting in pulmonary edema. This conditions occurs in people ages 20 to 50 and in children with a genetic predisposition to heart conditions. Symptoms include chest discomfort, coughing, breathing problems, fatigue, and swelling of the feet and ankles. Treatments include taking beta blockers, aspirin or surgery.

Pyloric Stenosis

• The Seattle Children's Hospital states that pyloric stenosis is the type that affects the gastrointestinal tract of infants. Symptoms of this condition usually appear when infants are between 2 weeks and 2 months old. Pyloric stenosis causes vomiting, dehydration and imbalances of salt and other body fluids because of intestinal obstructions. Infants need surgery immediately.

Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

• The American Heart Association says that pulmonary valve stenosis occurs when valves become narrow or leak and pump oxygen-depleted blood. This severity of this type of stenosis varies. Mild cases of pulmonary valve stenosis don't have symptoms; however, symptoms of severe cases include breathing difficulty, chest pains, fainting, fluid retention, enlarged heart and lungs and a cough. Severe cases require surgery to replace valves, and people with mild cases have to restrict their exercise. Although most sufferers don't have risk factors, many people develop this problem in prenatal development.

Meatal Stenosis

• The U.S. National Library of Medicine says that meatal stenosis is commonly referred to as a narrow urethra, the tube by which urine exits the body. This type of stenosis occurs in men and women. However, men suffer from it more than women. While females with narrow urethras are usually congenital, in men, it's caused by swelling and inflammation after circumcision. Symptoms include bed wetting, urination discomfort, incontinence and a visible narrow opening in boys. Doctors treat meatal stenosis in boys and girls by means of an outpatient surgical procedure.

Aortic Valve Stenosis

• Aortic valve stenosis causes obstruction or narrowing of the aortic valves of the heart. This prevents the adequate flow of blood from the lower left heart chamber to the aorta, which is the primary artery that leaves the heart. This condition is not a common type of stenosis and usually appears in men in their 70s. Symptoms include shortness of breath, angina-like chest pains, weakness, fainting and heart palpitations. Doctors monitor mild cases of aortic valve stenosis; however, surgery may be required for severe cases of this condition.