TRICUSPID REGURGITATION: NO LONGER THE ‘FORGOTTEN’ VALVE

Abstract

Considered initially as a bystander, tricuspid regurgitation has shown to be an important predictor of mortality in patients with left-side valvular or myocardial disease. However, a sizeable number of patients remain untreated until the end stage when cardiac surgery presents a prohibitive risk. The emergent need in finding a treatment for patients with tricuspid regurgitation deemed for surgery options have encouraged the development of transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions. These procedures mimic classical surgery techniques and they are mainly divided in two categories: repair (annuloplasty, coaptation devices, edge-to-edge techniques) and transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement. This review aims to provide an updated overview and a clinical perspective on novel transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions, highlighting potential challenges and future directions.

Keywords

• tricuspid regurgitation
• myocardial disease
• left-side valvular disease
• coaptation devices