The
tricuspid valve (also known as the
right atrioventricular valve) is on the right side of the heart, between the
right atriumThe right atrium is one of four chambers in the human heart. It receives deoxygenated blood from the superior and inferior vena cava and the coronary sinus, and pumps it into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve...
and the
right ventricleThe right ventricle is one of four chambers in the human heart. It receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium via the tricuspid valve, and pumps it into the pulmonary artery via the pulmonary valve and pulmonary trunk....
. The normal tricuspid valve usually has three leaflets and three papillary muscles. They are connected to the papillary muscles by the
chordae tendineaeThe chordae tendineae, or heart strings, are cord-like tendons that connect the papillary muscles to the tricuspid valve and the mitral valve in the heart....
, which lie in the right ventricle. Tricuspid valves may also occur with two or four leaflets, and the number may change during life.
Pathology
Tricuspid
regurgitationRegurgitation is blood flow in the opposite direction from normal, as the backward flowing of blood into the heart or between heart chambers. Can be categorized by:...
is not uncommon in the tricuspid valve. It is a common valve to be infected (
endocarditisEndocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves . Other structures which may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendinae, the mural endocardium, or even on intracardiac devices...
) in IV drug users. Although it is not a common site of endocarditis, patients with a small VSD usually develop endocarditis of the tricuspid valve.
The tricuspid valve can be affected by
rheumatic feverRheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that may develop two to three weeks after a Group A streptococcal infection . It is believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity and can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain...
, which can cause tricuspid stenosis or
tricuspid insufficiencyTricuspid insufficiency , a valvular heart disease also called tricuspid regurgitation , refers to the failure of the heart's tricuspid valve to close properly during systole...
(also called tricuspid regurgitation).
Some patients are born with congenital abnormalities of the tricuspid valve. Congenital apical displacement of the tricuspid valve is called
Ebstein's anomalyEbstein's anomaly is a congenital heart defect in which the opening of the tricuspid valve is displaced towards the apex of the right ventricle of the heart.-Presentation:...
and typically causes significant tricuspid regurgitation.
The first endovascular tricuspid valve implant was performed by physicians at the
Cleveland ClinicThe Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States...
.
External links