title: Functional tricuspid regurgitation: a need to revise our understanding.
abstract: The assessment of the etiology and severity of functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) has many limitations, especially when tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is more than severe. Instead of relying solely on TR severity, a new approach not only takes into account the severity of TR, but also pays strict attention to tricuspid annular dilation (size), the mode of tricuspid leaflet coaptation, and tricuspid leaflet tethering-factors often influenced by right ventricular enlargement and dysfunction. To simplify things, we propose a new staging system for functional tricuspid valve pathology using 3 parameters that may more accurately reflect the severity of the disease: TR severity, annular dilation, and mode of leaflet coaptation (extent of tethering). We believe that by utilizing these parameters, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons will be offered a better system for appraisal and decision-making in FTR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiothoracic Center of Monaco, Monaco; Department of Cardiac Surgery, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: gdreyfus@ccm.mc.
authors.forename: Gilles D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Dreyfus
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Piedmont Heart, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Randolph P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiothoracic Center of Monaco, Monaco; Department of Cardiac Surgery, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Cardiac Surgery, Sarawak General Hospital Heart Center, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
authors.forename: K M John
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiothoracic Center of Monaco, Monaco.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dulguerov
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Center of Monaco, Monaco.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alexandrescu
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: 2D/3D echocardiographic evaluation; annular dilation; leaflet coaptation mode; leaflet tethering; tricuspid annuloplasty with or without leaflet augmentation; tricuspid regurgitation grading