1000 THE EFFECT OF RIGHT VENTRICULAR SIZE AND FUNCTION ON TRICUSPID REGURGITATION SEVERITY


 
 
 Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a relatively common echocardiographic finding and its proportional influence on prognosis and quality of life has been well described. A bidirectional relationship connects TR severity and its volume overload with right ventricular (RV) dilation and dysfunction.
 
 
 
 to assess the impact of RV size and function on TR severity.
 
 
 
 116 stable patients with TR were enrolled at the time of echocardiography (43 men, 37%; mean age 74±13 years). TR severity was quantified by means of proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) derived effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA) and regurgitant volume (RVol). RV size was assessed by RV End Diastolic Area (EDA) and RV function by RV Free Wall Longitudinal Strain (FWLS).
 
 
 
 TR was quantified mild in 23 patients, moderate in 53 and severe in 40 patients, with higher predominance of functional rather than organic etiology (101 vs 15 patients); median EROA was 31 mm2 and median RVol was 30 mL. Mean RV-FWLS was -25.9±7%, -21.4±7.4% and -18.4±6.4% respectively in mild, moderate and severe TR with a statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.001). Mean RV-EDA was 19±7.7 cm2 in mild TR, 21.7±8.5 cm2 and 26.2±7 cm2 in moderate and severe TR respectively (p=0.002).
 In univariate analysis both RV-FWLS and RV-EDA were predictor of TR grade estimated by TR-EROA (p=0.012 and p<0.0001 respectively). In linear multivariable analysis only RV-EDA was an independent predictor of TR-EROA (p=0.001).
 A ROC curve analysis confirmed the better ability of RV-EDA to identify severe TR (sTR) compared to RV-FWLS (AUC=0.738 vs AUC=0.669).
 
 
 
 RV remodeling in terms of chamber dilation seems to better predict a higher TR severity compared to RV dysfunction.
