Risk factors for postoperative recurrent tricuspid regurgitation after concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty during left heart surgery and the association between tricuspid annular circumference and secondary tricuspid regurgitation

Quantitative Analysis of Morphology and Function in the Fetal Heart with Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation by Speckle Tracking Imaging

Morphology and function in a fetal heart with severe tricuspid regurgitation remains challenging. The aim of this study was to assess cardiac morphology and function in fetuses with severe tricuspid regurgitation by fetal heart quantification (HQ) and to assess the practical value of fetal HQ. Clinical information was analyzed for 63 pregnant women who underwent fetal cardiac ultrasonography. The women were divided into those who had a fetus with severe tricuspid regurgitation (n = 20) and those with a normal fetus (n = 40). The global sphericity index (GSI), fractional area change (FAC), and global longitudinal strain (GLS) of both ventricles and the sphericity index (SI) and fractional shortening (FS) of 24 segments were quantified by fetal HQ using speckle tracking imaging. Fetuses with severe tricuspid regurgitation had a significantly lower GSI (1.14 ± 0.10 vs. 1.26 ± 0.08, p < 0.001) and a higher GSI Z-score (-0.98 ± 1.01 vs. 0.25 ± 0.87, p < 0.001) as well as a significantly lower right ventricular FAC (36.50 ± 7.34% vs. 45.19 ± 3.39%, p < 0.001), FAC Z-score (-1.02 ± 1.41 vs. 0.49 ± 0.74, p < 0.001), and GLS (-21.01 ± 5.66% vs. 45.19 ± 3.49%, p < 0.001). The SI and SI Z-score were significantly lower in segments 1-18 of the right ventricle in fetuses with severe tricuspid regurgitation (p < 0.05); furthermore, FS of segments 1-12 and 19-24 and the FS Z-score of segments 18-24 were significantly lower in fetuses with severe tricuspid regurgitation (p < 0.05). Fetal HQ is useful for evaluation of cardiac morphology and function in fetuses with severe tricuspid regurgitation and can provide important reference information for both clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Tricuspid Annulus Dilation in Patients With Combined Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation and Left-Heart Valvular Disease: Does Septal Annulus Not Dilate?

Background

This study aimed to investigate the course of tricuspid annulus dilation in functional tricuspid regurgitation with varied severities by direct intraoperative assessment.

Methods

A total of 317 patients who underwent left heart surgery and concomitant tricuspid repair were divided into three groups according to the severity of the functional tricuspid regurgitation (mild, moderate and severe). Demographic and echocardiographic data were collected. The length of each tricuspid annulus segment was measured intraoperatively. The risk factors for preoperative severe functional tricuspid regurgitation and its postoperative recurrence were identified, and the impact of each tricuspid annulus segment on postoperative recurrence was compared.

Results

In the course of tricuspid annulus dilation, the posterior annulus dilated 17% (group 1: 33.31 ± 6.94 mm vs. group 2: 35.56 ± 7.63 vs. group 3: 38.98 ± 8.70, p < 0.01), the anterior annulus dilated 13.4% (group 1: 36.71 ± 6.30 mm vs. group 2: 38.21 ± 8.35 vs. group 3: 41.63 ± 9.20, p < 0.01), and the septal annulus dilated 11.4% (group 1: 38.11 ± 5.28 mm vs. group 2: 39.76 ± 6.90 vs. group 3: 42.46 ± 7.50, p < 0.01). Tricuspid annulus circumference index (p < 0.01) independently correlated with preoperative severe tricuspid regurgitation and postoperative recurrence. When patients were grouped based on the length of each segment, the septal annulus demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity (p < 0.001) to postoperative recurrence than the anterior (p = 0.085) or posterior annulus (p = 0.262).

Conclusions

This study revealed that each segment of tricuspid annulus could dilate in functional tricuspid regurgitation and highlighted the potential benefits of septal annulus plication in tricuspid annuloplasty, which may aid in the development of a methodology for prosthetic ring annuloplasty.