title: Traumatic rupture of the tricuspid valve and multi-modality imaging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Motor vehicle accident (MVA) account for most cases of traumatic rupture of the tricuspid valve. Valve rupture during an MVA is generated by an abrupt deceleration coupled with an increase in right-side cardiac pressures (Valsalva maneuver and thorax compression).
  
  
  METHODS
  A 39-year-old asymptomatic man was referred for an echocardiogram due to the presence of a systolic murmur. He had no prior significant medical history, except for a remote MVA 3 years ago. Real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) showed a tear in the body of the anterior leaflet and not at the cord, as was suggested by two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2D-TTE). Based on these findings, the mechanism was considered anterior leaflet rupture of the tricuspid valve, secondary to chest blunt trauma. The anterior leaflet was repaired using two polytetrafluoroethylene sutures, and tricuspid annuloplasty with an Edwards ring was performed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multimodality imaging helps to determine timing of surgery in asymptomatic traumatic tricuspid rupture. The combination of echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging provide information of volumetric data and contractility of the right ventricle (RV) during follow-up. RT3DE gives information relevant to the morphological and functional characterization of the valve, allowing the planning of appropriate surgical procedure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Instituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Avegliano
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Instituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corneli
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Instituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Conde
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Instituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ronderos
keywords: Traumatic rupture of the tricuspid valve; cardiac magnetic resonance; three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography