Diseases of the tricuspid valveTripartite heart valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle.
Isolated tricuspid valveValve. disease rarely occurs in adulthood. The most common is regurgitation (leakage) of the tricuspid valve. The incidence in the general population is 0.5 per cent, with the number increasing with age. It is estimated that about 4 per cent of the population over 75 years of age have tricuspid valve regurgitationInability of the heart valve to close. Inflammation or calcification can cause the leaflets of the heart valves to shrink, or the increase in size of the heart can cause the valve ring to widen. When closed, small gaps remain between the leaflets through which the blood flows back into the chamber.. In more than 90 per cent of cases, the cause is secondary. This means that the valve regurgitation is caused by an enlargement of the annulus, as a result of dilatation1. Dilatation of the ventricles or aorta. 2. Widening of constrictions in vessels and valves. of the right heart cavities. It is not uncommon to find another heart valveIn the inflow and outflow area of the heart chambers there are valves which prevent the blood from flowing back in the wrong direction. Each heart half has a sail valve and a pocket valve: 1. Tricuspid valve (between the right atrium and right ventricle) 2. Pulmonary valve (between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery) 3. Mitral valve (between the left atrium and left ventricle) 4. Aortic valve (between the left ventricle and the aorta). disease (Mitral valve regurgitation). Diseases of the tricuspid valve in childhood, such as the Ebstein anomaly, are a particular challenge.
Symptoms
If the tricuspid valve leaks, blood flows back into the right atrium. The right ventricle can then no longer pump blood effectively into the pulmonary circulation. As a result, blood backs up in the body’s circulation. In addition to typical symptoms such as oedema (water retention), permanent damage to the liver and fluid accumulation in the abdomen can occur in the course of the disease. However, it is not uncommon for patients to be asymptomatic.
Treatment
Surgical treatment of the tricuspid valve is often performed as a combined procedure with mitral valveHeart valve between the left atrium and left ventricle. It got its name because of its shape, which has a strong resemblance to a bishop’s mitre. surgery. The tricuspid valve is predominantly reconstructed in our clinic. For this purpose, special rings are used which reduce the dilated ring of the valve to a normal size and thus restore closure of the leaflets. Reconstruction of the tricuspid valve follows the trend of the mitral valves and is predominantly performed minimally invasively via an incisionCut into body tissue. below the right breast.
