Improvement in right ventricular systolic function after surgical correction of isolated tricuspid regurgitation

Chronic tricuspid regurgitation (TR) may lead to impairment in right ventri cular (RV) function. Whether surgical correction results in restoration of normal RV geometry and function is unknown. The purpose of this study was t o determine whether surgical correction of TR results in improved RV geomet ry and function. Measure-ments of RV areas were made from digitized 4-chamb er echocardiographic views. Right ventricular end-diastolic volume (RVEDV), right ventricular end-systolic volume (RVESV), and election fraction (EF) were calculated with the single-plane subtraction method. There was a signi ficant decrease in RVEDV (109.06 +/- 12.45 versus 71.63 +/- 6.83; P = .005) and RVESV (76.2 +/- 9.83 versus 44.5 +/- 5.58; P = .002) and a significant increase in RVEF (0.30 +/- 0.05 versus 0.38 +/- 0.05; P = .01) at a mean f ollow-up of 130 +/- 63 days after surgery. These results demonstrate signif icant remodeling of the right ventricle with reduction in size and improved EF after tricuspid valve surgery.