Tricuspid Valve Flashcards
What are the four components of the TV?
- fibrous annulus
- leaflets (three)
- papillary muscles
- chordal attachments
What is the normal shape of the tricuspid annulus?
What happens when to size when functional dilation occurs?
- triangular and saddle shaped
- becomes cicrular and planar
- owing to greater enlargement of the anteroposterior over the medolateral dimensions
What are the 3 leaflets of the tricuspid valve?
Explain differences in size and location.
- anterior
- largest in size
- posterior
- septal
- smallest in size
- most medial
- inserted apically into the interventricular septum
Describe papillary muscles in relation to the TV
- Two discrete papillary muscles (anterior, posterior)
- Anterior
- provides chordae to the anterior and posterior leaflets
- Posterior
- provides chordae to all three leaflets
What structures (in addition to papillary muscles) provide TV support?
- Septum
- No formal septal papillary muscle –> septum gives chordae to the anterior and septal leaflets
- RV free wall
- may provide chordal attachments
- Moderator band
- may provide chordal attachments
What is the most common cause of TS?
- Rhuematic disease
- accounts for 90% of TS cases
- only 8% of rheumatic patients will develop TS
What are causes of TS?
- Rheumatic (MCC ~ 90% of cases)
- Carcinoid (always combined with TR)
- SLE
- Pacemaker-induced adhesions
- Radiation therapy
- Congenital malformations
- Obstruction
- RA tumors
- Infection/vegetations
What are the clinical features/PE findings of TS?
- Right sided pressure increase
- peripheral edema
- hepatomegaly
- ascites
- fatigue (out of proportion to the degree of dyspnea)
- PE
- JVP (with giant A wave)
- mid-diastolic rumble, that augments on inspiration, best heard in the tricuspid area
What are signs of chronic pressure overload associated with TS?
RA and IVC ( >2.1 cm) enlargement
What are common findings of Carcinoid syndrome on 2D Echo?
- severely thickened leaflets
- immobile leaflets (“frozen leaflets”)
- combination of TS and TR are present
What views are best to obtain tricuspid inflow velocity?
- PS RV inflow
- A4C
What is a good cut off for TV inflow velocity to rule out TS?
rarely exceeds 0.7 m/s
When is TS considered severe (in the evaluation of TS) on TV inflow velocity?
- Diastolic gradient > 5 mmHg
- TVA < 1.0 cm2
- calculated via continuity equation
What are the specific findings of significant TS on Echo?
Supportive findings?
- MG > 5 mmHg
- TV VTI (inflow time) > 60 cm
- PHT > 190 ms
- TVA (by continuity equation) < 1.0 cm2
- Enlarged RA > moderate
- Dilated IVC ( > 2.1 cm)
Why is PHT assessment of valve area different with the TV and MV?
- may be less accurate
- due to differences in:
- AV compliance between the right and left heart
- influence of respiration and TR on this measurement
What are two factors that will affect assessment of the TV?
- HR > 100 bpm
- should ideally be 70-80 bpm
- affect the interpretation of PHT
- concomitant TR
When should TV (inflow velocity) assessment be obtained in relation to the cardiac cycle?
End of respiratory cycle (at end expiration, while patient holding there breath)
or
Averaged throughout respiratory cycle
What is the rule for obtaining TV (inflow velocity, VTI) in the setting of A-fib?
- Measurements taken from a minimum of five cardiac cycles
- must be averaged
Describe the picture
What are the class I indications for TV replacement surgery (in TS)?
- Severe TS + at time of operation for left-sided valve disease
- Isolated, severe, symptomatic TS
What are potential complications of TV surgery?
- injury to adjacent structures:
- RCA
- AV node
When is percutaneous balloon commissurotomy considered in TS?
isolated, symptomatic, severe TS without accompanying TR (class IIb)
What is the most common cause of TR?
functional (or secondary) regurgitation
- secondary to annular dilatation from RA or RV enlargement, Pulmonary hypertension
- accounts for 80% of cases of severe TR
What are acquired causes of primary TR?
- Myxomatous/Degenerative (most common)
- Rheumatic
- Carcinoid
- Endocarditis
- Endomyocardial fibrosis
- Toxins
- Trauma
- Iatrogenic
- Pacemaker lead impingement
- Endomyocardial (RV) biopsy complication
- Ischemic papillary muscle rupture
What are the pathophysiologic mechnisms for TR (functional)?
- annular dilation
- papillary muscle displacement
- chordal tethering
- leaflet malcoaptation
What is the most common cause of primary TR?
myxomatous/degenerative disease
What are congenital causes of primary TR?
- Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries
- Other (giant right atrium)
- Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot
- Ebstein’s anomaloy
- TV dysplasia
- TV tethering
- associated with perimembranous VSD and VS aneurysm
What are the clinical/PE features of significant TR?
- Right sided volume overload (ascites, peripheral edema, abdominal discomfort, hepatomegaly, fatigue)
- Murmur is difficult to detect on PE (very soft)
- pansystolic murmurm
- best heard in tricuspid area
- increases in intensity:
- inspiration
- S3 may be present
- Elevated JVP with large cv wave
What are the causes/mechanisms of secondary (functional) TR?
- Left heart disease (LV dysfunction or valve disease)
- RV dysfunction
- RV ischemia
- RV volume overload
- RV cardiomyopathy
- Pulmonary hypertension
- chronic lung disease
- pulmonary thromboembolism
- left-to-right shunt
- RA abnormalities
- A-fib
Describe the algorithm for TR evaluation
Describe views and the leaflet anatomy
Describe the findings in the image
- Ebstein’s anomaly
- apical displacement of the septal leaflet and associated severe TR
Describe the findings in the image
Describe the findins in the image
- Carcinoid heart disease (of the TV)
- severe RA dilation
- severe thickening, shortening and retraction of the TV leaflets
- leads to incomplete leaflet coaptation and severe TR
What leaflets (of the TV) are visualized in the RV inflow view?
- Nearfield
- anterior leaflet (blue) is always visualized
- Farfield
- may be septal (yellow) or posterior (green)
- wide range of variability
What leaflets (of the TV) are visualized in the SAX view?
- SAX (level of Aortic Valve)
- anterior leaflet (blue) is always visible and adjacent to the aorta
- posterior leaflet (green) sometimes visible and adjacent to RV free wall
- SAX (level of LVOT)
- all three leaflets visible
What leaflets (of the TV) are visualized in the A4C view?
*
When is 3D Echo most useful for the TV assessment?
- Pacemaker wire impingement
- Tethering of leaflets
- Traumatic TR
- assessment of valve damage/surgical planning
Describe the findings
- CW Doppler demonstrating severe TR
- traingular-shaped, early peaking jet contour
Describe the findings
- “Sine Wave” appearance on CW doppler of the TV
- very severe TR with normal RV pressure
- represents equal forward and backward flow across a severely incompetent valve
What are the structural parameters used to assess TR severity?
- TV morphology
- severe = severe valve lesions (flail leaflet, severe retraction, large perforation)
- RV size
- RA size
- IVC diameter
- < 2 cm = normal-mild
- > 2.5 cm = severe
What are the qualitative parameters used to assess TR severity?
- Color flow jet area
- Flow convergence zone
- severe = large, throughout systole
- CWD jet
What are the semi-quantitative parameters used to assess TR severity?
- Color flow jet area (cm2)
- VC (cm)
- PISA radius (cm)
- Hepatic vein flow
- Tricuspid inflow
What are the quantitative parameters used to assess TR severity?
- EROA (cm2)
- RV (mL)
What jet area is consistent with severe TR?
What factors can affect appearance of the jet?
- > 10 cm2
- > 50% of RA area
- Jet area factors:
- several Echo machine settings can affect teh appearance of the jet
- Pulse repetition frequency
- eccentric or wall impinging jet –> underestimation of severity when using color doppler alone
- several Echo machine settings can affect teh appearance of the jet
Describe VC severity scale in TR assessment
- Mild < 0.30 cm
- Moderate 0.30 - 0.69 cm
- Severe > 0.70 cm
- > 0.40 cm2 (on 3D Echo)
What are the specific criteria for Severe TR (inital evaluation)?
- Dilated annulus with no valve coaptation or flail leaflet
- Dilated RV with preserved function
- Dense, triangular CW jet or sine wave pattern
- Systolic reversal of Hepatic vein flow
- Large central jet > 50% of RA
- VC width > 0.7cm
- PISA radius > 0.9cm (at Nyquist 30-40 cm/s)
Describe the EROA scale in TR assessment?
- Mild < 0.2 cm2
- Moderate 0.2-0.4 cm2
- Severe > 0.4 cm2
Describe the RVol scale in TR assessment?
- Mild < 30 mL
- Moderate 30-44 mL
- Severe > 45 mL
What are the specific criteria for Mild TR (inital evaluation)?
- Incomplete or faint CW jet
- Thin, small central color jet
- Tricuspid A-wave dominant inflow
- Systolic dominant Hepatic vein flow
- VC < 0.3 cm
- PISA radius < 0.4 cm (at Nyquist 30-40 cm/s)
- Normal RV/RA
What clinical scenario is TEE indicated in addition to TTE for thorough evaluation?
- Suspected PM endocarditis
Not indicated for
- PA pressure in primary pulmonary hypertension
- IVC thrombus
- RV function
What is the cause of severe TR (regurgitant velocity 1 m/s) with reduced RV function post-transplant?
- Flail TV leaflet
- common with valvular (usually septal) leaflet/chordae damage due to repeated endomyocardial biopsies following transplantation
- results in laminar rather than turbulent flow
What is the etiology of McConnell sign?
Describe the pathophysiology?
- Acute PE
- regional RV dysfunction with apical sparing of RV function
- may be seen in acute PE
- Senstivity 70%, specificity 30%, PPV 67%, NPV 33%