Abstract
Due to the proportionally high mortality rates associated with isolated tricuspid valve surgery, the invasive treatment of such pathology, historically, has been left largely unaddressed. Recently, there has been an appreciation for the mortality and morbidity of tricuspid valve disease, giving rise to the movement towards identifying less invasive, transcatheter approaches for treatment. Due to the technical complexity of these procedures along with the uniqueness and variability of tricuspid valve anatomy, a better appreciation of the tricuspid valve anatomy and pathology is required for pre-procedural planning. While two-dimensional echocardiography serves as the initial non-invasive modality for tricuspid valve evaluation, three-dimensional echocardiography provides a complete en face view of the tricuspid valve and surrounding structures, as well contributes further information regarding disease etiology and severity. In this review, we discuss the utility of three-dimensional echocardiography as a supplement to two-dimensional imaging to better assess tricuspid valve disease and anatomy to aide in future innovative therapies.
Introduction
Recently, the morbidity and mortality associated with tricuspid valve (TV) pathology has become more appreciated. Five-year survival is < 30% with moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR), which is associated with increased mortality independent of factors such as ejection fraction and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (–). Additionally, worsening of underlying TR after surgery of left sided valves has been documented (–). Due to the significant risk that TV disease poses, focus has shifted towards treatment of the TV disease from both surgical, and more recently, transcatheter approaches (). Surgical TV repair has been linked to a high mortality rate (), thus prompting the need for minimally invasive options. As many new transcatheter devices and surgical options are being brought to the market, the need for an enhanced knowledge of the TV anatomy and disease severity becomes important for success of these technically complex procedures. In this review, we discuss the role of 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiography as a supplement to 2-dimensional (2D) echocardiography in assessing TV anatomy and pathology (Figures 1–6).
Figure 1
Figure 2

Live/real time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography in rheumatic tricuspid valve (TV) stenosis and regurgitation (TR). A: The arrow points to the TV orifice in a patient with TV stenosis. The orifice area measured 2.02 cm2 in diastole. B,C: En face views in another patient with mild TV stenosis but severe TR. The TV orifice area (B) measured 2.4 cm2 in diastole. Systolic frame (C) shows noncoaptation of TV leaflets in the same patient as (B). This measured 0.4 cm2 and resulted in severe TR as assessed by two-dimensional color Doppler. D: En face view from the ventricular aspect in a third patient with rheumatic heart disease showing systolic non coaptation (arrow) of the TV. LA = left atrium; RV = right ventricle. Other abbreviations as in previous figures. Reproduced with permission from Pothineni K et al (
Figure 3

Live/real time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography of TV prosthesis. A,B: Normal bioprosthetic TV leaflets (arrow) in open (A) and closed (B) positions. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 represent the three struts of the prosthetic valve. C: Arrow shows systolic noncoaptation of bioprosthetic leaflets in another patient. Abbreviations as in previous figures. Reproduced with permission from Pothineni at al (
Figure 4

Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. Apical 4 chamber view shows noncoaptation of tricuspid valve (TV) leaflets (arrow) due to a dilated annulus-an important consideration in procedural planning for TV disease. Abbreviations as in previous figures. Reproduced with permission from Murray, et al. (
Figure 5

Live/real time transesophageal echocardiographic assessment of TR. The color Doppler data set obtained from a four chamber view was cropped to depict the VC which measured 0.41 cm2 in area (A). Abbreviations as in previous figures.
Figure 6

Live/real time transesophageal echocardiography. The arrow points to a pacemaker (PM) lead impinging on the septal leaflet (S) of the tricuspid valve. This caused restricted motion of the septal leaflet resulting in severe TR. Findings were confirmed at surgery. Abbreviations as in previous figures.
Tricuspid valve anatomy
The TV consists of three leaflets: the anterior leaflet (AL), which is largest and quadrangular, the posterior leaflet (PL), which is smallest and triangular, and the septal leaflet (SL), which is semicircular in shape with scalloped indentations (
In addition to understanding the anatomy and physiology of the TV in diseased conditions, 3D echocardiography has greatly contributed to our knowledge of normal TV annulus (A) geometry (
Etiology of TV disease
The etiology of TV disease can be classified into primary, referring to pathologic changes to the TV leaflets (Table 1), or secondary, referring to pathologic changes to the surrounding heart structures (Table 2) (
Table 1
| Rheumatic valve disease: Commissural fusion, thick TV leaflets with restricted mobility, thickened/shortened chordae, TV stenosis and/or regurgitation |
| Infective/marantic endocarditis, masses, thrombi, fibroelastoma on the TV |
| Myxomatous degeneration/TV prolapse |
| TV or RV papillary muscle injury or chordae rupture (chest wall trauma, pacemaker or ICD lead induced, endomyocardial biopsy, RV infarction) |
| Congenital (Ebstein's anomaly, TV atresia, TV clefts, TV dysplasia, double orifice TV, unguarded TV orifice) |
| Carcinoid syndrome: Thickened/restricted TV leaflets. Carcinoid deposits on chamber/IVC wall |
| Loeffler syndrome: Thickened TV |
Causes of primary TV disease.
ICD, implantable cardioverter defibrillator; IVC, inferior vena cava; RV, right ventricle. Reproduced with permission from Murray, et al with modifications (
Table 2
| Primary and/or secondary pulmonary hypertension causing RV/RA/TVA dilatation |
| RV cardiomyopathy: dilated, ischemic, and arrhythmogenic RV dysplasia |
| Pulmonary valve/artery stenosis |
| Left sided disease: LV dysfunction or mitral/aortic valvular disease resulting in pulmonary hypertension |
| Congenital: Left-to-right shunt (ASD, VSD, anomalous pulmonary venous return), post-Tetralogy of Fallot repair with severe pulmonary regurgitation |
| Atrial fibrillation resulting in LA/RA dilation |
Causes of secondary TV disease.
LA, left atrium; LV, left ventricle; RA, right atrium; RV, right ventricle; TVA, tricuspid valve annulus; ASD, Atrial septal defect; VSD, Ventricular septal defect. Reproduced with permission from Murray, et al with modifications (
Procedural considerations for TV disease
Due to the high mortality associated with TV disease and with traditional TV surgery, innovative therapies to repair or replace the TV have been recently brought to market (
Tricuspid valve echocardiography
Imaging of the TV should be performed by 2DTTE/3DTTE and 2DTEE/3DTEE, if indicated, to evaluate the valve (
Table 3
| TV is largest in comparison to other valves |
| TV may have between 2 and 4 leaflets and varies amongst patients |
| There is significant variation amongst the shape and size of the TV |
| Nonplanar geometry of the TVA |
| 2D planes often fail to visualize all three leaflets, requiring multiple views to be obtained, in addition to increased risk of misidentifying leaflets |
| There is the need to mentally visualize a 3D picture from 2D planes, increasing interobserver variability |
Challenges associated with 2D assessment of the TV.
Abbreviations as in Table 1.
Assessment of the TV involves a comprehensive imaging approach using 2D TTE/TEE, 3D TTE/TEE, color flow Doppler, and in some instances, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (
3DTTE offers further information in regard to the severity and etiology of TR. 3DTTE has been shown to identify structural deficits as the cause of TR (
3DTTE also offers quantitative assessment of TR, which has been historically difficult to achieve with 2D imaging. One described technique to quantitatively assess TR severity has been to calculate the TV 3D vena contracta (VC) area. Obtaining the velocity time integral of the TR jet via continuous wave Doppler and multiplying it by the VC size will provide the volume of regurgitation (
To capture multiple 3D structures in a dataset, volume angle often must be enlarged, except when assessing the TR VC. This causes a reduction in the frame rate, and therefore temporal resolution. Due to this phenomenon, 3D datasets should be acquired from multiple transthoracic transducer positions that best visualize the TV, with focused 3D examinations being used as a complement to 2D imaging (
To obtain 3D imaging of the TV, one must begin the exam with the most optimized 2D examination of the TV, often requiring multiple acquisitions from both the left and right parasternal, apical, subcostal transducer approaches. Once visualized, the image is switched to live/real time 3D to ensure the TV is in view. Once confirmed, full-volume mode is applied, which allows focus on the TV without surrounding structures, thus acquiring an image with an increased frame rate resulting in enhanced resolution. When viewing the TV en face, the septal TV leaflet should be located at the 6 ‘clock position, although recent studies have suggested alternative approaches more anatomically or surgically appropriate (
Despite the benefits of 3D imaging, projecting a 3D image onto a 2D screen can limit accurate assessment of spatial relationships and is less accurate in representing specific tissue characteristics such as tissue calcifications and vegetations (
Conclusion
Morbidity and mortality associated with TV disease is no longer lost on clinicians. Due to the complex anatomy of the TV and nonplanar geometry of the TVA, assessing severity of TV disease can be difficult with 2D imaging alone. 3DTTE/TEE as a supplement to 2D imaging has been shown to provide quantitative data regarding TV pathology, as well as enhance innovative procedural interventions of the TV. This literature review has further gathered information on the technique and benefits associated with 3D echocardiography.
Statements
Author contributions
All authors contributed to the conception and design of the work, drafted the manuscript, and revised it critically, approved the final version of the manuscript, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the works.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Summary
Keywords
echocardiography, three-dimensional echocardiography, tricuspid valve, two-dimensional echocardiography, transcatheter tricuspid valve repair, transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement, three-dimensional printing
Citation
Jost ZT, Nooli NP, Ali AE, Jaganathan V and Nanda NC (2023) Three-dimensional echocardiography of the tricuspid valve. Front. Cardiovasc. Med. 10:1114715. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1114715
Received
02 December 2022
Accepted
24 February 2023
Published
20 March 2023
Volume
10 - 2023
Edited by
Konstantinos Papadopoulos, Interbalkan Medical Center, Greece
Reviewed by
Özge Özden Tok, Memorial Bahçelievler Hospital, Türkiye Constantinos Papadopoulos, Red Cross Hospital, Greece Luigi P. Badano, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy
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Copyright
© 2023 Jost, Nooli, Ali, Jaganathan and Nanda.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Zachary T. Jost zacharyjost@uabmc.edu Navin C. Nanda nnanda@uabmc.edu
Specialty Section: This article was submitted to Cardiovascular Imaging, a section of the journal Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.