Tricuspid leaflet repair: Innovative solutions

Abstract

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) represents a significant disease process and when severe, is associated with increased mortality. Recent guidelines support a more aggressive approach to tricuspid valve (TV) surgery, especially when encountered with left-sided valvular pathology. While annuloplasty has been the standard treatment for TR, it may not provide as effective or durable a repair compared to annuloplasty combined with TV repair techniques. Several of these approaches are discussed including bicuspidalization, anterior leaflet augmentation, edge to edge repair, neochords, leaflet resection and combined approaches. Although patient cohorts in most of the studies examining these techniques are small, the long-term durability of TV repair is significant.