Tricuspid Valve

Overview of the Tricuspid Valve & Disorders

Understand the anatomy of the tricuspid valve, also known as the right atrioventricular valve, and its essential components.

Browse this Keyhole Heart Clinic resource for information on tricuspid valve treatment, symptoms, complications and causes.

Tricuspid Valve Function

As the largest of the four chambers, the tricuspid valve is located between the right atrium and right ventricle of the heart. When the ventricle contracts, it pumps blood out of the heart. It is usually made up of three leaflets (flaps), called the anterior, posterior and septal leaflets. The tricuspid valve leaflets’ supporting structures include chordae tendinae, papillary muscles and the valve annulus.

The function of the tricuspid valve is to prevent backflow of blood from the right ventricle to the right atrium. When valve problems develop, such as tricuspid valve regurgitation (leakage) or tricuspid stenosis (narrowing), the valve cannot function effectively. When the valves open, they do not properly close, allowing blood to flow backward instead of the right direction.

Types of Tricuspid Valve Disorders

Tricuspid valve disorder refers to two kinds of heart valve diseases:

• Tricuspid regurgitation, also known as tricuspid insufficiency, develops when the valve can’t close sufficiently, and the blood leaks backwards.
• Tricuspid stenosis occurs when the valve leaflets are stiff and do not open wide enough to let blood flow freely.

Causes of Tricuspid Valve Disease

Tricuspid valve disease can result from multiple underlying heart conditions.

Tricuspid regurgitation often occurs due to an enlarged right ventricle. This stretching can cause annular dilation (the valve’s ring widens), preventing the leaflets from sealing.

Common causes include:

• Heart failure (right or left-sided), which can both cause and result from tricuspid valve disease
• Coronary artery disease
• Cardiomyopathies
• Left-sided valvular disease
• Pulmonary hypertension, often due to left-sided heart disease or lung conditions like emphysema

Less common causes include trauma, infective endocarditis, rheumatic heart disease, carcinoid syndrome, connective tissue degeneration, and congenital heart defects.

Tricuspid stenosis is most often caused by rheumatic heart disease. This condition thickens and stiffens the valve leaflets, thereby limiting blood flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle.

Tricuspid Valve Disorder Symptoms & Tricuspid Regurgitation Signs

When you are predisposed to heart disease, there are many tricuspid valve disorder symptoms you can be vigilant of.

However, sometimes there are no symptoms of tricuspid valve disorder, and the patient can live for a long time without even realising something is wrong.

Tricuspid valve disease symptoms to look out for:

• Irregular heartbeat
• Tired/fatigued quite easily with minimal exertion
• Discomfort in the neck area
• Swelling of the legs and ankles
• Enlarged liver

Diagnosing Tricuspid Valve Disorders

An echocardiogram is widely used to diagnose tricuspid valve diseases. This test uses ultrasound to help doctors see the valve and the heart muscle’s function.

Other tests include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Stress tests

Together, these tests inform the development of effective treatment plans.

Treatment of Tricuspid Valve Disorder

Most tricuspid valve conditions cannot be adequately treated with medicine, so many require a valve repair or replacement. Many patients will want to have surgery in order to minimise tricuspid valve disorder symptoms, but the treatment varies based on a number of things.

This includes the severity of the tricuspid valve disorder, your age and health, and whether the disorder is your only heart problem, or whether you have another issue that requires treatment.

Heart valve repair is usually the first choice, as there is less risk of infection, and it may stop the need for blood-thinning medications. However, some valves cannot be repaired, or repaired valves may eventually need replacement.

As tricuspid valve disease often occurs with other heart conditions, treatment is usually combined. Doctors may treat coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation or cardiomyopathy during the same procedure. Tricuspid valve repair or replacement is often performed simultaneously to enhance overall heart function.

Keyhole Surgery for Tricuspid Valve Disorder Treatment

Tricuspid valve replacement and repair can both be done using a minimally invasive keyhole approach by skilled surgeons at The Keyhole Heart Clinic.

In this procedure, a very small incision is made between the ribs, on the right side of the chest, or through a blood vessel in the groin.

Our minimally invasive techniques mean numerous benefits for a patient suffering from a severe tricuspid valve disorder, such as:

• Less recovery time
• Smaller, more subtle scars
• Less bleeding
• Lower chance of infection.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for heart health content that makes difficult conversations around tricuspid valve disease simple.

The Keyhole Heart Clinic: Trusted Experts in Patient Care

We turn the future of surgery into today’s reality at The Keyhole Heart Clinic. Our director is a world-renowned cardiologist, Mr. Inderpaul Birdi, with over two decades of experience in minimally invasive heart procedures.

Mr. Birdi is among a small group of surgeons worldwide who perform keyhole coronary bypass surgery and keyhole tricuspid valve repair. In 2022, he performed the UK’s first successful quadruple heart bypass using keyhole techniques.

Do you have any further questions about tricuspid valve disorder? Get in touch with our friendly team, and we would be more than happy to assist you!