The tricuspid valve is the atrioventricular valve in the right hand section of the human heart, which regulates the flow of blood from the right atrium (top chamber) to the right ventricle (the bottom chamber). Normally, the tricuspid valve has three leaflets along with three papillary muscles. The leaflets are attached to the papillary muscles of the heart by the chordae tendineae that are present in the right ventricle.
The number of leaflets of the tricuspid valve keep varying over the lifetime of the individual, with some having two or even four leaflets. The valve ensures that the blood flows constantly in the right direction that is from the top to the lower chamber.
When the tricuspid valve functions abnormally, it can either result in a backward leak of the blood flow, or sometimes a restraint to the forward flow of the blood. This may lead to serious complications in the functioning of the heart, and is referred to as the tricuspid valve disease.
As mentioned, the tricuspid valve disease occurs in two forms:
- Tricuspid regurgitation: This complication arises when the tricuspid valve fails to close tightly, leading to a backward leak, wherein the blood flows from the right ventricle back to the atrium.
- Tricuspid stenosis: In this form of disease, problem arise due to the stiffness of the valve leaflets, which fail to open wide enough so as to let the required flow of blood into the ventricle. This leads to a restriction in the normal flow of blood, which can cause a harmful pressure across the valve, which will then tend to build up in the heart.
Under such circumstances, the revision of the tricuspid valve becomes very necessary in order to save the patient’s life, as the risks of endocarditis looms very large. The valve disease is usually diagnosed through an ECG, echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, x-rays, MRI, and radionuclide scans.
The revision of the valve is usually done with a surgical repair approach that uses an annuloplasty ring. Tricuspid regurgitation revision is performed if there are chances that the valve can be repaired. In most cases, it is not the valve which requires to be treated, but the disorder behind it. Emphysema, pulmonic stenosis, pulmonary hypertension, or some other abnormalities are some of the causes for tricuspid regurgitation.
In severe cases, the valve has to be necessarily replaced.
