Effects of Preoperative Tricuspid Valve Diameters on Early Postoperative Surgical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Tricuspid Valve Surgery.

Background: Many of the previous studies on tricuspid valve surgery were on the materials that were used and the advantages and disadvantages of them. In this study, effects of preoperative tricuspid valve diameter on early postoperative outcomes were investigated. Methods: A total of 43 patients who underwent tricuspid valve repair surgery with the ring between the years 2012-2014 were included in this study. Tricuspid valve diameters and other cardiac functions of patients undergoing tricuspid intervention were evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography. Patients included in this study were divided into 2 groups: those with minimal, minimal-to-1st degree and 1st-degree tricuspid valve regurgitation found on thoracic echocardiography in the early postoperative period were considered as having a successful tricuspid repair (Group 1). Those with 1st-2nd degree and higher degrees of tricuspid regurgitation were considered as having an unsuccessful tricuspid repair (Group 2). The relationship between tricuspid valve dimensions and early tricuspid valve regurgitation was assessed with the help of preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data. Results: Thirty patients (Group 1) were found to have a successful tricuspid valve repair in the postoperative period. The mean annulus diameter of the tricuspid valve at end-diastole in patients from Group 1 was similar to Group 2 (4.24 +/- 0.44 cm versus 3.99 +/- 0.40; P = .080). Also, tricuspid valve end-systolic diameter in Group 1 was similar to patients in Group 2 (3.59 +/- 0.38 cm versus 3.42 +/- 0.33 cm; P = .151). Conclusion: A direct relationship was not found between tricuspid valve diameter and post-operative development of moderate to severe regurgitation in tricuspid valve surgery in this study.