Abstract： Surgical repair of functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) is often carried out concomitantly with other leftsided heart valve procedures. Though diseases of both left heart valve and tricuspid were treated during the surgery, postoperative residual or recurrent tricuspid regurgitation has been clearly associated with progressive heart failure and worsened longterm survival. To date, surgical interventions mainly address FTR at three anatomic levels: commissure, annulus and leaflets. However, a certain mid and longterm failure rate after operation still exists. High surgical mortality rates have been reported in patients with recurrent tricuspid regurgitation requiring complex reoperations. With a better understanding of tricuspid anatomical complex and valvuloplasty, significant improvements have been made in FTR surgical indications and techniques. This review article will focus on the development of surgical indications in tricuspid valve repair, while the repair techniques and their impact on longterm clinical outcome will also be compared.
Objective To summarize the clinical characteristics and management experiences of patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) after mitral valve surgery. Methods Thirty patients were followed up and reviewed for this report. There were 1 male and 29 female patients whose ages ranged from 32 to 65 years (47.1±92 years). A total of 28 patients had atrial fibrillation and 2 patients were in sinus rhythm. There were 13 patients of mild TR, 10 patients of moderate TR and 7 patients of severe TR at the first mitral valve surgery. Five patients received the tricuspid annuloplasty of De Vega procedure at the same time, 2 patients received Kay procedure. The predominant presentation of patients included: abdominal discomfort (93.3%, 28/30), edema (66.7%,20/30), palpitation (56.7%, 17/30), and ascites (20%, 6/30). Results Nine patients underwent the secondary surgery for severe TR. The secondary surgery included tricuspid valve replacement (6 cases), mitral and tricuspid valve replacement (2 cases) and Kay procedure (1 case). Eight patients were recovered and discharged and 1 patient died from the bleeding of right atrial incision and low output syndrome. Twentyone patients received medical management and were followed up. One case was lost during followup. Conclusion Surgery or medical management should be based on the clinical characteristics of patients with severe TR after mitral valve surgery. It should be based on the features of tricuspid valve and the clinical experience of surgeon to perform tricuspid annuloplasty or replacement.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an important alternative in treating high-risk patients with aortic valve regurgitation. Transcatheter tricuspid valve implantation (TTVI) is also an important treatment option for high-risk patients with tricuspid regurgitation. We reported a 72-year male patient who underwent TAVI due to severe aortic valve regurgitation using a J-Valve. During a two-year follow-up, the patient developed secondary tricuspid regurgitation to atrial fibrillation, and subsequently received TTVI using a LuX-Valve. Following the interventions, the patient's symptoms were significantly improved, and echocardiography indicated good hemodynamic performance of both transcatheter heart valves. This case highlights the feasibility and effectiveness of performing multiple valve implantations via transcatheter approaches in high-risk elderly patients.
Right-sided cardiac valvular diseases have traditionally been considered less important than disease of mitral or aortic valve. However, severe tricuspid regurgitation could lead to right ventricle dysfunction and reduce patients' survival rate. In clinic setting, tricuspid valve disease should be paid more attention for patients with secondary tricuspid regurgitation caused by left-sided valvular surgery combined with irreversible annular dilatation increasing the risk of re-operation. In this review, we summarize the epidemiology, anatomy, pathology, diagnosis, ultrasound and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with tricuspid regurgitation.
As the indications for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) expand, multi-valve lesions are becoming more common in clinical practice. Moderate to severe atrioventricular regurgitation, particularly when persistent after TAVR, significantly increases the risk of adverse events. Therefore, many studies have evaluated factors that contribute to the improvement of atrioventricular regurgitation. However, this field remains controversial due to the heterogeneity of retrospective studies and the lack of randomized controlled trials. Despite advances in atrioventricular valve intervention techniques, evidence for atrioventricular regurgitation intervention after TAVR is still scarce. The management decision for atrioventricular regurgitation in patients who underwent TAVR is complex and must take into account the severity of valve disease, anatomical characteristics, quality of life, and procedural complexity. We conducted a review of atrioventricular regurgitation in patients who have received TAVR in hope that it will help decision-making in clinical practice.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical efficacy of right minithoracotomy approach in the treatment of patients with regurgitation after left-sided valve surgery (LSVS).MethodsThe clinical data of 77 patients who suffered tricuspid regurgitation (TR) after LSVS and received surgical treatment in the Heart Center of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from 2012 to 2019 were selected. According to the operation method, the patients were divided into a right minithoracotomy group (n=32), including 13 (40.6%) males, aged 57.3±5.3 years and a median sternotomy group (n=45), including 17 (37.8%) males, aged 55.7±6.6 years. Preoperative and postoperative clinical data of the two groups were compared and analyzed.ResultsThere was no significant difference in preoperative data between the two groups. There were 24 patients of tricuspid valvuloplasty (TVP) and 8 patients of tricuspid valve replacement (TVR) in the right minithoracotomy group. There were 29 patients of TVP and 16 patients of TVR in the median sternotomy group. The operation time, postoperative hospitalization time, intubation time and ICU stay time of the right minithoracotomy group were shorter than those of the median sternotomy group (P<0.001). The operative bleeding, postoperative drainage in 24 hours, postoperative blood transfusion rate and incision poor healing of the right minithoracotomy group were significantly decreased compared with those of the median sternotomy group (P<0.05). The extracorporeal circulation time between the two groups was not significantly different (P=0.382). The postoperative complications and mortality of the righ minithoracotomy group were significantly lower than those of the median sternotomy group (P<0.05).ConclusionThe procedure of right minithoracotomy access can reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality compared with the median sternotomy, and results in satisfied clinical efficacy.
A 23-year-old male patient was diagnosed with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA) at the age of 3 during a routine physical examination. Due to the absence of significant symptoms, the patient was managed conservatively with follow-up without surgical treatment. He developed chest tightness one year prior to admission, with symptom exacerbation in the recent month. Echocardiography demonstrated significantly worsened morphological tricuspid regurgitation. The patient presented to Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital for surgical evaluation. Given the patient’s age and clinical presentation, a totally thoracoscopic morphological tricuspid valve replacement was performed. Postoperative assessment showed good prosthetic valve function, with no regurgitation or paravalvular leakage; the electrocardiogram confirmed sinus rhythm without atrioventricular block. Extubation occurred within 12 hours postoperatively, and the patient was transferred from the intensive care unit (ICU) on postoperative day 2. At the three-month follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and had resumed normal activities. This report describes the first case of a totally thoracoscopic morphological tricuspid valve replacement in a ccTGA patient in China. This initial experience suggests that the totally thoracoscopic approach for morphological tricuspid valve replacement in ccTGA patients is a feasible, safe, and effective minimally invasive option associated with rapid recovery.
Preoperative evaluation is crucial for heart valvular surgery. This article discusses some issues that need to be emphasized: the impact of hypertension on the severity of aortic valve lesions, and how to improve the accuracy of clinical assessment; the identification of functional tricuspid regurgitation, in order to choose the appropriate surgical technique; the need for right ventricular function testing, and the use of risk scoring models, to better grasp surgical timing and indications and improve efficacy; and the importance of evaluating atrial mitral and/or tricuspid regurgitation complications in chronic atrial fibrillation, and making rational choices for interventional and surgical treatment.
With the prevalence of atrial fibrillation and the increasing use of intracardiac pacemakers, the incidence of isolated tricuspid regurgitation is gradually increasing. Severe isolated tricuspid regurgitation has a seriously negative effect on the survival rate and life quality of patients. As the major invasive therapy, surgery is not routinely carried out due to high perioperative mortality. This article attempts to summarize the etiology, natural course and adverse consequences of isolated tricuspid regurgitation, current treatment strategies, surgical indications and techniques, efficacy evaluation, prognostic factors and transcatheter treatment progress of isolated tricuspid regurgitation, aiming to provide references for cardiologists and further researches.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical efficacy of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) in cardiac implantable electronic lead-related tricuspid regurgitation (TR). MethodsThe patients with severe TR who underwent LuX-Valve TTVR in 9 Chinese medical centers from June 2020 to August 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. They were divided into a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) group and a non-CIED group based on whether they had pre-existing CIED implantation. Success of the procedure was defined as safe implantation of the LuX-Valve and complete withdrawal of the delivery system. Prognostic improvement was defined as a decrease of TR grade to≤2+ and an improvement of cardiac function by≥2 grades. Surgical success and postoperative prognosis were compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 190 patients were collected, including 50 males and 140 females with a mean age of 66.2±7.8 years. There were 29 patients in the CIED group, and 161 patients in the non-CIED group. In the CIED group, 28 patients were implanted with a permanent pacemaker and 1 patient with a cardioverter-defibrillator. Preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function class, TR degree, left ventricular ejection fraction, tricuspid annular plane systolic excusion, and cardiac risk scores were comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). Postoperative TR was reduced to≤2+ in all patients, and there was no statistical difference in the incidence of perivalvular leakage between the two groups (P=0.270). Postoperative CT of CIED patients showed the valve was in place, and the lead was not extruded, twisted, or deflected. The in-hospital mortality of the two groups were 10.3% and 1.9%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.047). In addition, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative improvement of cardiac function and mortality in the 1- and 2-year follow-up. ConclusionTTVR is feasible, safe, and effective in patients with CIED implantation, and the pre-existing lead has no significant effect on the clinical efficacy.