Evaluation and clinical significance on echocardiography of tricuspid i nsufficiency in patients with rheumatic mitral disease / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective　To investigate the relationship betwee n tricuspid insufficiency (TI) and the function of the right ventricle, degree o f pulmonary vascular pathological change in patients with rheumatic heart diseas e so as to provide the indication of operation for treating TI. Methods 　41 cases of rheumatic heart disease with TI accompanying with bicuspid pathological changes were reviewed. Correlation analysis was done between the s everity of TI and the right ventricular size(RVS), pulmonary artery pressure(PAP ), pulmonary artery resistance(PAR) etc. Results　It was found t hat the size of the right ventricle, PAP, PAR were positively correlated to th e degree of TI. Tricuspid annuloplasty should be carried out in patients with RV D>40 mm, PAR >48 kPa*s/L, PAP>8 kPa. Conclusion　TI resulted ma inly from insufficient function of the right ventricle and marked patholog ical changes of the pulmonary blood vessels. Doppler echocardiography evaluation for the function of right ventricle and pathological condition of pulmonary blo od vessels might be of significant in deciding whether tricuspid annuloplasty sh ould be performed simutaneously in patients of bicuspid valve replacement.