One of its primary surgical treatments of tricuspid regurgitation is tricuspid valve biological valve replacement. Catheter tricuspid valve-in-valve implantation is a novel interventional alternative for biological valve failure. The non-invasive lung fluid measuring device remote dielectric sensing (ReDSTM) has been increasingly incorporated into clinical practice as a means of monitoring chronic heart failure in recent years. This report describes the process and outcomes of the first instance of perioperative lung fluid volume evaluation following transcatheter tricuspid valve implantation utilizing ReDSTM technology. The patient has a short-term, substantial increase in postoperative lung fluid volume as compared to baseline.
Objective To investigate the effects of different types of tricuspid regurgitation, implantation positions, and device models on the treatment outcomes of K-Clip for tricuspid regurgitation using numerical simulations. Methods Three-dimensional reconstruction of the heart model was performed based on CT images. Two different regurgitation orifices were obtained by modifying the standard parameterized tricuspid valve leaflets and chordae tendineae. The effects of different K-Clip models at different implantation positions (posterior leaflet midpoint, anterior-posterior commissure, anterior leaflet midpoint, posterior septal commissure) were simulated using commercial explicit dynamics software Ls-Dyna. Conclusion For the two types of regurgitation in this study, clipping at the posterior leaflet midpoint resulted in a better reduction of the regurgitation orifice (up to 75% reduction in area). Higher clamping forces were required for implantation at the anterior leaflet midpoint and posterior septal commissure, which was unfavorable for the smooth closure of the clipping components. There was no statistical difference in the treatment outcomes between the 18T and 16T K-Clip components, and the 16T component required less clamping force. Therefore, the use of the 16T K-Clip component is recommended.
ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility of goat tricuspid regurgitation (TR) model by one chordae tendineae cutter via right anterior-lateral minimal incision.MethodsTR model was established in 6 goats with a self-made tricuspid valve chordae tendineae cutter. The goats were placed in a left lateral position and procedure was performed via a right anterior-lateral minimal thoracotomy in the fourth intercostal. Under the guidance of transesophageal ultrasound and digital subtraction angiography, the chordae tendineae of anterior leaflet was cut until moderate to severe regurgitation was confirmed. Echocardiography and laboratory examinations were performed preoperatively, immediately and 3 months after surgery. Additionally, all goats were sacrificed to clarify pathological evaluation.ResultsTR was successfully established in 6 goats. The right atrium pressure increased significantly immediately after surgery (P<0.05). During a follow-up of 3 months, the progression of TR was aggravated (P<0.05), and the annular diameter increased from 2.15±0.23 cm to 2.65±0.20 cm. Overall, there was no statistically significant change in transvalvular gradient and velocity between preoperation and postoperation. Laboratory test results showed no abnormalities between preoperation and postoperation. Autopsy evaluation demonstrated obvioue chordae tendineae transection of the anterior leaflet.ConclusionIt is feasible to establish TR model via a right minimal anterior lateral thoracotomy in the fourth intercostal space. This novel TR goats model will allow investigation of transcatheter interventional device and serve as a chronic model in the future.
Objective To examine the regression, residue, or progression of tricuspid regurgitation （TR） after mitral valve replacement so as to improve the clinical evaluation and management of TR. Methods From January 1998 to December 2003, a total of 287 consecutive patients of mitral valve replacement were followed and reviewed for this study. There were 86 male patients and 201 female patients whose ages ranged from 15 to 66 years （41.0±11.0 years）. The predominant mitral vane lesion was stenosis in 199 patients （69%）, regurgitation in 66 patients （23%） and mixed in 22 patients （8%）. A total of 201 patients （70%） had atrial fibrillation and 86 patients （30%） were in sinus rhythm. According to ratio of maximal regurgitation area to right atrial area TR was graded as mild （＋）, mild-moderate （＋/＋＋） moderate （＋＋） moderate-severe （＋＋/＋＋＋） and severe （＋＋＋）. There were 101 mild TR （36.7%）, 5 mild-moderate（1.8%）, 27 moderate （9.8%）, 2 moderate-severe （0.7%） and 21 severe （7.6%）. Depending on the surgical findings tricuspid annuloplasty was performed. The patients were followed in outpatient clinical and had echocardiography evaluation regularly. Results The follow-up ranged from 2 to 7 years （4.0±1.6 years）. Twelve patients were lost during the follow-up periods. Compared with preoperation, clinical condition of the majority of patients was improved after surgery. The diameter of left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle and right ventricle decreased significantly after operation （P〈0.01）. The ejection fraction and fraction of shorting increased significantly after surgery （P〈0.05）. However there were no significantly changes between pre- TR and post- TR in these patients （P〉0.05）. Tricuspid annuloplasty was not performed for 129 patients who had TR because TR was judged intraoperatively not to be severe. Of those patients, TR regressed in 54 patients, improved in 12 patients, did not change in 46 patients and progressed in 17 patients respectively after surgery. There were 27 patients who received De Vega tricuspid annuloplasty. Among them, TR regressed in 10 patients, improved in 12 patients and did not change in 5 patients respectively after surgery. Conclusion It is not adequate to evaluate the degree of TR in mitral valve diseases with rate of maximal regurgitation area to right atrial area. It should be improved to adopt intraoperative findings for tricuspid annuloplasty. TR may occur in patients who do not have TR before operation.
Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) affects a wide population in China, and frequently coexists with other conditions as comorbidities. Moderate to severe TR is associated with a poor prognosis and medical treatment alone does not prevent progression of disease. Although minimal invasive catheter-based techniques might be an option for TR treatment in selected high risk patients, there is no relevant recommendations for the transcatheter treatment of TR in practice guidelines. Several transcatheter edge-to-edge repair devices are currently in preclinical and early clinical evaluation as potential novel treatment options for symptomatic TR in patients at increased risk for surgery, becoming as the most common technique applied for interventional TR treatment. Hence, the present study will introduce the clinical features of TR, the progress of edge-to-edge repair, and the application and challenges in the future.
Objective To observe whether the adoptation of tricuspid annulus diameter as surgical indication for tricuspid annuloplasty will reduce the occurrence of moderate-severe tricuspid regurgitation(TR) in patients after mitral valve replacement (MVR). Methods Between April 2005 and June 2006, MVR was performed in 56 patients with no or mild TR in our Department. The patients were divided into two groups according to tricuspid annulus diameter(TAD)/body surface area (BSA)≥21mm/m2. Tricuspid annuloplasty group(TA group): 22 cases, male 8, female 14, age 45.0±7.7 years, TAD 36.8±3.8mm, BSA 1.57±0.15m2, New York Heart Association(NYHA) functional class Ⅲ/Ⅲ-Ⅳ 18/4, sinus rhythm(SR)/atrial fibrillation (AF) 2/20. Notricuspid annuloplasty group (NTA group): 34 cases, male 9, female 25, age 42.9±11.0 years, TAD 28.5±4.4mm, BSA 1.58±0.13m2, NYHA Ⅲ/Ⅲ-Ⅳ 28/6, SR/AF 9/25. Kay annuloplasty was performed for TA group patients. The patients were followed in outpatient clinical regularly and evaluated by echocardiography at 6 months after operation. Results All patients recovered and were discharged from hospital. The duration of follow-up was 11.0±2.4 months. Except 2 cases, all patients received echocardiography evaluation at 6 months after operation. There were no significantly differences between two groups patients in general clinical characteristics (Pgt;0.05). Compared with NTA group before operation, right atrial diameter (RAD, 49.3±7.0mm) and TAD(36.8±3.8mm) were bigger and more mild TR in TA group (Plt;0.05). RAD(44.1±8.9mm) and TAD(28.9±6.1mm) reduced and the proportion of TR degree improved (Plt;0.05) in TA group but did not occur in NTA group after surgery (Pgt;0.05). There were three cases of moderate TR in NTA group. Conclusion Tricuspid annuloplasty adopting TAD as surgical indication may reduce the occurrences of postoperative moderate-severe TR for patients of MVR with no or mild preoperative TR.
Objective To develop a novel transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement device and test its performance. MethodsThe transcatheter tricuspid valve stent consisted of double-layer self-expanding nitinol stent, biotissue-derived bovine pericardial leaflets, and PTFE woven. The delivery system, mainly consisting of a handle control unit and a delivery sheath, was sent to the correct position via right atrium or jugular vein. The sheath had a visualization feature, and the handle control unit could realize the functions of stable release and partial recovery of the interventional valve. In addition, this study performed animal survival experiments on the basis of in vitro experiments. A large-white pig was used as the experimental animal. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established through median thoracotomy, then the right atrium was opened, and the interventional valve was released under direct vision without cardiac arrest. Approximately 1 month after interventional valve implantation, the maneuverability and stability of the interventional tricuspid device were evaluated by autopsy. ResultsThrough the animal experiment, the interventional valve was successfully released, and the anchoring was satisfactory. Postoperative transthoracic echocardiography showed that the interventional valve opened and closed well, the flow rate of tricuspid valve was 0.6 m/s, and there was no obvious tricuspid regurgitation. One month after the operation, we dissected the large-white pig and found the interventional valve was not deformed or displaced, the leaflets were well aligned, and there was thrombus attachment in the groove between the inner and outer layers of the interventional valve. ConclusionAnimal experiment shows that the novel device can stably and firmly attach to the tricuspid annulus, with good anchoring effect, and effectively reduce paravalvular leakage.
Objective To observe early and intermediate-term clinical outcomes of tricuspid valvuloplasty withannuloplasty ring for the treatment of secondary tricuspid regurgitation （TR） of patients with rheumatic heart disease. MethodsFrom December 2009 to September 2011, 41 patients with rheumatic heart disease underwent left-side heart valve replacementand concomitant tricuspid valvuloplasty with annuloplasty ring in Sichuan Jianyang People’s Hospital. There were 12 males and 29 females with their mean age of 49 （21-67） years. Preoperatively, there were 38 patients with atrial fibrillation, 13 patients with left atrial thrombus; 2 patients with trivial TR, 5 patients with mild TR, 11 patients with moderate TR, and 23 patients with severe TR. Twenty-eight patients received mitral valve replacement and 13 patients received mitral and aortic valve replacement. All the patients were followed up every 3 months at the outpatient department, and received color Doppler echocardiography examination to observe TR degree at the 6th postoperative month. Results Postoperative heart function improved by 2-3 class in all the patients. There were 39 patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) classⅠorⅡ postoperatively, and postoperative heart function was significantly better than preoperative heart function（P＜0.05）. All the patients were followed up for 6-27 months, and there was no death during follow-up. Color Doppler echocardiography at the 6th postoperative month showed that TR degrees were significantly decreased than preoperative TR degrees. There were 39 patients with trivial or mild TR during follow-up, which was significantly different with preoperativeTR degree （P＜0.05）. Right ventricle dimension decreased from preoperative 20 mm to 17 mm during follow-up, which were statistically different （P＜0.05）. Conclusion Early and intermediate-term clinical outcomes of tricuspid valvuloplasty with annuloplasty ring for the treatment of TR are satisfactory, while further evaluation for its long-term outcome is needed.
Abstract： Objective To evaluate clinical outcomes of tricuspid annuloplasty using a C-type ring made of autologous pericardium for the treatment of functional tricuspid regurgitation （TR）. Methods Eleven patients underwent tricuspid annuloplasty in Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital between March 2009 and January 2011， including 5 male patients and 6 female patients with their age of 32-57 （43.80±12.20） years. There were 3 patients with mild TR， 7 patients with moderate TR， and 1 patient with severe TR. Concomitant procedures included mitral valve replacement and/or aortic valve replacement and/or left atrial thrombectomy. The C-type ring was created using a strip of pericardium after 0.8% glutaraldehyde fixation for 15 minutes. Interrupted horizontal mattress suture was used to secure the C-type ring to the tricuspid annulus. Hear function and echocardiography were examined during follow-up. Results There was no in-hospital death， and the hospital stay was 15-28 （21.10±3.80） days. All the patients were followed up for 8-28 （18.50±7.00）months. There was no death or reoperation because of TR or tricuspid stenosis during follow-up. Ten patients had TR during follow-up， including 9 patients with mild TR and 1 patient with mild to moderate TR， but there was no patient with severe TR. The degree of TR during follow-up was significantly reduced than preoperative degree （Z =-2.81，P＜0.05）. Preoperative and postoperative right ventricular dimension （19.95±5.11 mm vs. 21.57±12.81 mm，P=0.705） and right atrial dimension（37.55±6.79 mm vs. 35.55±5.22 mm，P=0.317）were not statistically different. Conclusion Tricuspid annuloplasty using a C-type ring made of autologous pericardium has satisfactory clinical outcomes for patients with functional TR.
Functional tricuspid regurgitation is referred to tricuspid regurgitation due to enlargement of right ventricular and dilation of tricuspid annulus. Patients with chronic progressive tricuspid regurgitation have poor prognosis, poor quality of life and heavy economic burden. This article provides a comprehensive review of functional tricuspid regurgitation in terms of anatomical basis, pathological stage, imaging assessment and surgical decision making.