Valve repair for functional tricuspid valve regurgitation: anatomical and surgical considerations

Geometric data of commercially available tricuspid valve annuloplasty devices

Tricuspid valve annuloplasty is the gold standard surgical treatment for functional tricuspid valve regurgitation. During this procedure, ring-like devices are implanted to reshape the diseased tricuspid valve annulus and to restore function. For the procedure, surgeons can choose from multiple available device options varying in shape and size. In this article, we provide the three-dimensional (3D) scanned geometry (*.stl) and reduced midline (*.vtk) of five different annuloplasty devices of all commercially available sizes. Three-dimensional images were captured using a 3D scanner. After extracting the surface geometry from these images, the images were converted to 3D point clouds and skeletonized to generate a 3D midline of each device. In total, we provide 30 data sets comprising the Edwards Classic, Edwards MC3, Edwards Physio, Medtronic TriAd, and Medtronic Contour 3D of sizes 26-36. This dataset can be used in computational models of tricuspid valve annuloplasty repair to inform accurate repair geometry and boundary conditions. Additionally, others can use these data to compare and inspire new device shapes and sizes.

Impact of 3D Rigid Ring Annuloplasty for Tricuspid Regurgitation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Tricuspid annuloplasty (TAP) is accepted as the standard technique for correcting tricuspid regurgitation (TR). We conducted the present study to provide an overview of the contemporary results of 3D rigid ring annuloplasty for TR.

Methods

A systematic literature search was carried out in eight databases to collect all relevant studies on the three-dimensional (3D) rigid ring annuloplasty treatment of TR published before October 1, 2020. The main outcomes of interest were postoperative TR grade, perioperative mortality, and recurrent TR.

Results

A total of eight studies were included, all of which were retrospective observational studies. Rigid 3D rings were compared with flexible bands, and there was no difference in perioperative mortality [odds ratio (OR) = 1.02; 95% CI (0.52, 2.02); p = 0.95], late mortality [OR = 0.99; 95% CI (0.28, 3.50); p = 0.98], or recurrent TR [OR = 0.59; 95% CI (0.29, 1.21); p = 0.15]. The postoperative TR grade associated with 3D rigid rings was 0.12 lower [mean difference (MD) = −0.12; 95% CI (−0.22, −0.01); p = 0.03], which indicated that 3D rigid rings result in better postoperative outcomes than flexible bands. Compared with suture annuloplasty, the postoperative TR grade of the 3D rigid ring group was 0.51 lower [MD = −0.51; 95% CI (−0.59, −0.43); p < 0.05]. Within the 5 years of follow-up, patients who underwent 3D rigid ring annuloplasty had lower TR recurrence [OR = 0.26; 95% CI (0.13, 0.50); p < 0.05].

Conclusions

Compared with suture annuloplasty, 3D rigid rings present early advantages. The 3D rigid rings provide an acceptable short-term effect similar to that of the flexible bands, and a significant difference between these approaches was not discovered. However, the conclusion was based on the limited, short-term data available at the time of the study. Further research on the long-term effects of 3D rigid ring annuloplasty for TR is clearly needed.

Systematic Review Registration

https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2021-3-0105/, identifier: 202130105.

Cardiac CT angiography: normal and pathological anatomical features-a narrative review

The normal and pathological anatomy of the heart and coronary arteries are nowadays widely developed topics and constitute a fundamental part of the cultural background of the radiologist. The introduction of cardiac ECG-gated synchronized CT scanners with an ever-increasing number of detectors and with increasingly high structural characteristics (increase in temporal resolution, increase in contrast resolution with dual-source, dual energy scanners) allows the virtual measurement of anatomical in vivo structures complying with heart rate with submillimetric precision permitting to clearly depict the normal anatomy and follow the pathologic temporal evolution. Accordingly to these considerations, cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) asserts itself as a gold standard method for the anatomical evaluation of the heart and permits to evaluate, verify, measure and characterize structural pathological alterations of both congenital and acquired degenerative diseases. Accordingly, CCTA is increasingly used as a prognostic model capable of modifying the outcome of diseased patients in planning interventions and in the post-surgical/interventional follow-up. The profound knowledge of cardiac anatomy and function through highly detailed CCTA analysis is required to perform an efficient and optimal use in real-world clinical practice.

Septal and posterior sliding plasty in tricuspid valve endocarditis

The tricuspid valve can be affected in left-sided infective endocarditis. We present a new technique to repair anteroseptal tricuspid valve commissure. It was employed in a patient with left-sided infective endocarditis with intervalvular fibrous body abscess. A sliding plasty of septal and posterior leaflets was performed, reaching the anteroseptal commissure with the aid of De-Vega like annuloplasty.

Transcatheter therapy for tricuspid regurgitation: The surgical perspective

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) remains a complex valve pathology affecting nearly two million people in the United States. Although it can present as a primary valve pathology, TR often presents as a late finding in patients with severe pulmonary disease or end-stage chronic heart failure. Surgical repair of isolated TR or TR from left-sided pathology has been associated with high morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, surgery for patients with TR and advanced cardiac disease has been associated with poor long-term outcomes. In recent years, transcatheter technology has emerged to target high-risk surgical patients with TR. Currently, multiple new transcatheter strategies to treat TR have shown initial benefit. However, further development of this technology is required. The aim of this perspective is to provide an overview of TR pathophysiology and to highlight the successful aspects of surgery for TR that provide insight for further translation of transcatheter strategies for patients with TR. These include replication of successful surgical techniques (ring-based annuloplasty and valve replacement) and the goal of achieving no to minimal residual TR following intervention. Earlier implementation of transcatheter valve repair to minimize TR progression and further development of transcatheter valve replacement strategies are also next steps in the translation of this technology.

Severity of tricuspid regurgitation is associated with long-term mortality

OBJECTIVES

To determine the association between intraoperative/presurgical grade of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and mortality, and to determine whether surgical correction of TR correlated with an increased chance of survival compared with patients with uncorrected TR.

METHODS

The grade of TR assessed by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) before surgical intervention was reviewed for 23,685 cardiac surgery patients between 1990 and 2014. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to determine association between grade of TR and the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality. Association between tricuspid valve (TV) surgery and survival was determined with Cox proportional hazard regression models after matching for grade of TR.

RESULTS

Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated a relationship between all grades of TR. Multivariable analysis of the entire cohort demonstrated significantly increased mortality for moderate (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-1.4; P < .0001) and severe TR (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.57-2.6; P < .0001). Mild TR displayed a trend for mortality (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.99-1.16; P = .075). After matching for grade of TR and additional confounders, patients who underwent TV surgery had a statistically significant increased likelihood of survival (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.61-0.91; P = .004).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study of more than 20,000 patients demonstrates that grade of TR is associated with increased risk of mortality after cardiac surgery. In addition, all patients who underwent TV surgery had a statistically significantly increased likelihood of survival compared with those with the same degree of TR who did not undergo TV surgery.

Clinical outcomes of tricuspid valve repair accompanying left-sided heart disease

AIM

To determine whether the need for additional tricuspid valve repair is an independent risk factor when surgery is required for a left-sided heart disease.

METHODS

One hundred and eighty patients (68 ± 12 years, 79 males) underwent tricuspid annuoplasty. Cox proportional-hazards regression model for multivariate analysis was performed for variables found significant in univariate analyses.

RESULTS

Tricuspid regurgitation etiology was functional in 154 cases (86%), organic in 16 cases (9%), and mixed in 10 cases (6%), respectively. Postoperative mortality at 30 days was 11.7%. Mean follow-up was 51.7 mo with survival at 5 years of 73.5%. Risk factors for mortality were acute endocarditis [hazard ratio (HR) = 9.22 (95%CI: 2.87-29.62), P < 0.001], ischemic heart disease requiring myocardial revascularization [HR = 2.79 (1.26-6.20), P = 0.012], and aortic valve stenosis [HR = 2.6 (1.15-5.85), P = 0.021]. Significant predictive factors from univariate analyses were double-valve replacement combined with tricuspid annuloplasty [HR = 2.21 (1.11-4.39), P = 0.003] and preoperatively impaired ejection fraction [HR = 1.98 (1.04-3.92), P = 0.044]. However, successful mitral valve repair showed a protective effect [HR = 0.32 (0.10-0.98), P = 0.046]. Additionally, in instances where tricuspid regurgitation required the need for concomitant tricuspid valve repair, mortality predictor scores such as Euroscore 2 could be shortened to a simple Euroscore-tricuspid comprised of only 7 inputs. The explanation may lie in the fact that significant tricuspid regurgitation following left-sided heart disease represents an independent risk factor encompassing several other factors such as pulmonary arterial hypertension and dyspnea.

CONCLUSION

Tricuspid annuloplasty should be used more often as a concomitant procedure in the presence of relevant tricuspid regurgitation, although it usually reveals an overly delayed correction of a left-sided heart disease.

Effects of a 3D segmental prosthetic system for tricuspid valve annulus remodelling on the right coronary artery: a human cadaveric coronary angiography study

OBJECTIVES

A prosthetic system to repair secondary tricuspid valve regurgitation was developed. The conceptual engineering of the current device is based on 3D segmental remodelling of the tricuspid valve annulus in lieu of reductive annuloplasty. This study was designed to investigate the operational safety of the current prosthetic system with regard to the anatomical integrity of the right coronary artery (RCA) in fresh cadaveric human hearts.

METHODS

During the study period, from January to April 2016, the current prosthetic system was implanted on the tricuspid valve annulus in fresh cadaveric human hearts that met the study's inclusion criteria. The prepared specimens were investigated via selective coronary angiography of the RCA in the catheterization laboratory. The RCA angiographic anatomies were categorized as normal, distorted, kinked or occluded.

RESULTS

Sixteen specimens underwent implantation of the current prosthetic system. The mean age of the cadaveric human hearts was 43.24 ± 15.79 years, with vehicle accident being the primary cause of death (59%). A dominant RCA was noticed in 62.5% of the specimens. None of the specimens displayed any injury, distortion, kinking or occlusion in the RCA due to the implantation of the prostheses.

CONCLUSIONS

In light of the results of the present study, undertaken on fresh cadaveric human heart specimens, the current segmental prosthetic system for 3D remodelling of the tricuspid valve annulus seems to be safe vis-à-vis the anatomical integrity of the RCA. Further in vivo studies are needed to investigate the functional features of the current prosthetic system with a view to addressing the complex pathophysiology of secondary tricuspid valve regurgitation.

Surgical approach to functional tricuspid regurgitation: should we be more aggressive?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) is an important clinical entity that is encountered frequently during the operative management of left-sided heart valve disease, particularly in the setting of mitral regurgitation. Failure to recognize the importance of FTR during mitral valve surgery may result in inferior early and late outcomes because of the progression of tricuspid regurgitation and right heart failure. In this review, attention is focused on recent literature, which increasingly supports the use of corrective tricuspid valve annuloplasty, and the growing consensus that FTR or tricuspid annular dilation should be more aggressively addressed at the time of cardiac surgery.

RECENT FINDINGS

The European Society of Cardiology and the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery (ESC/EACTS) 2012 guidelines recommend a more proactive approach to tricuspid regurgitation correction and highlight the shifting consensus toward more aggressive surgical therapy. Rigid annuloplasty rings should be used in favor of flexible bands or DeVega-style repairs. Preoperative determinants of clinical outcomes now include echocardiographic parameters of tricuspid valve tenting area, and associated right ventricular size and function.

SUMMARY

Despite data demonstrating inferior outcomes in the presence of residual tricuspid regurgitation after cardiac surgery, surgical repair for FTR appears to be underutilized. Increased recognition and correction of tricuspid regurgitation at the time of surgery is increasingly supported by published guidelines, although randomized prospective data are needed to bolster current recommendations.

Direct injury to right coronary artery in patients undergoing tricuspid annuloplasty

BACKGROUND

Direct injury to the right coronary artery as a result of reparative operation on the tricuspid valve is a rare, probably underdiagnosed, but serious complication, which often involves dramatic clinical consequences. So far, only five cases have been described in the literature.

METHODS

We describe our single-center experience of this complication, and review and analyze relevant clinical and anatomic considerations related to this entity. Cases previously reported in the literature were also reviewed.

RESULTS

We describe four cases of direct injury to the right coronary artery in patients undergoing tricuspid annuloplasty (DeVega annuloplasty, 3; ring annuloplasty, 1) in our institution since 2005. All patients had right ventricular dilatation and severely dilated tricuspid annulus. Right coronary artery occlusion always occurred between the right marginal artery and the crux of the heart. Patients presented with hemodynamic or electrical instability. Coronary flow could be restored in 2 patients (percutaneously 1; surgically 1), both of whom finally survived, while it was not technically possible in the other 2 (1 died).

CONCLUSIONS

Occlusion of the right coronary artery in patients undergoing tricuspid annuloplasty is a rare complication that may occur if great annulus dilatation is present, thus altering both normal annular geometry and the relationship between the right coronary artery and the tricuspid annulus, particularly when DeVega annuloplasty is performed. Such an entity should be considered in the immediate postoperative period in an unstable patient, especially when complementary tests support this diagnosis. Prompt recognition and treatment can positively affect the patient's outcome, most often by means of an emergency revascularization strategy.

Concomitant tricuspid valve repair in patients with minimally invasive mitral valve surgery

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the 10-year Leipzig experience with minimally invasive mitral valve (MIMV) surgery in combination with tricuspid valve (TV) surgery.

METHODS

Between January 2002 and December 2011, a total of 441 patients with mitral valve (MV) dysfunction and concomitant TV regurgitation (TR) underwent MIMV surgery at the Leipzig Heart Center. The mean age was 68.7±10.0 years, mean LVEF was 56.7%±13.1% and 184 patients (41.7%) were male. The Average logEuroSCORE was 8.3%±7.2%, and patients had an average follow-up of 3.4±2.4 years.

RESULTS

Pre-discharge echocardiography showed no or mild mitral regurgitation (MR) in 95.1% and no or mild TR in 84.1%. Overall 30-day mortality was 4.3% with nineteen deaths. Five-year survival was 77.2%±2.5%. Five-year freedom from TV-related reoperation was 91.0%±1.8%.

CONCLUSIONS

Our 10-year experience show that MIMV surgery in combination with TV surgery can be performed routinely with good peri- and post-operative results. Our observations support current recommendations to perform concomitant TV repair, particularly if tricuspid annular dilation is present.

Tricuspid annular geometry: a three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic study

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the clinical feasibility of accurately measuring tricuspid annular area by 3-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and to assess the geometric differences based on the presence of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Also, the shape of the tricuspid annulus was compared with previous descriptions in the literature.

DESIGN

Prospective.

SETTING

Tertiary care university hospital.

INTERVENTIONS

Three-dimensional TEE.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Volumetric data sets from 20 patients were acquired by 3D TEE and prospectively analyzed. Comparisons in annular geometry were made between groups based on the presence of TR. The QLab (Philips Medical Systems, Andover, MA) software package was used to calculate tricuspid annular area by both linear elliptical dimensions and planimetry. Further analyses were performed in the 4D Cardio-View (TomTec Corporation GmBH, Munich, Germany) and MATLAB (Natick, MA) software environments to accurately assess annular shape. It was found that patients with greater TR had an eccentrically dilated annulus with a larger annular area. Also, the area as measured by the linear ellipse method was overestimated as compared to the planimetry method. Furthermore, the irregular saddle-shaped geometry of the tricuspid annulus was confirmed through the mathematic model developed by the authors.

CONCLUSIONS

Three-dimensional TEE can be used to measure the tricuspid annular area in a clinically feasible fashion, with an eccentric dilation seen in patients with TR. The tricuspid annulus shape is complex, with annular high and low points, and annular area calculation based on linear measurements significantly overestimates 3D planimetered area.

Measurement of strut chordal forces of the tricuspid valve using miniature C ring transducers

Tricuspid valve (TV) leaflets, papillary muscles (PM), and tendinous chords must work together to ensure proper coaptation. Alterations in valvular mechanics, including chordal forces, may lead to improper coaptation resulting in tricuspid regurgitation. Little is known about TV mechanics as right-sided heart diseases have been overlooked. We sought to fill this gap by understanding the role of TV strut chords with the objective to understand how strut chordal force varies depending on papillary muscle (PM) origin and leaflet attachment in the normal state. Additionally we investigated how these forces are altered with abnormal geometry. Porcine TVs (n=18) were studied in a right-heart simulator capable of reproducing physiological and pathological conditions. Miniature force transducers were placed on strut chords to measure forces throughout the cardiac cycle. In the normal state, chordal force depended upon PM attachment in which chords branching from the septal PM (SPM) carried significantly less force compared to those branching from the anterior PM (APM) (p≤0.05). Annular dilatation resulted in significant increase in chordal force (p≤0.05) on all strut chords. Severe PM displacement led to increased chordal force in chords attaching the APM to the posterior leaflet as well as chords attaching the PPM to the septal leaflet. Elevated chordal force due to isolated annular dilatation was further increased only with addition of apical displacement of the APM. These results provide initial knowledge of TV chordal force mechanics and may be applied to future studies on TV repair techniques.