All Roads Lead to Rome: Diverse Etiologies of Tricuspid Regurgitation Create a Predictable Constellation of Right Ventricular Shape Changes.

Myriad disorders cause right ventricular (RV) dilation and lead to tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Because the thin-walled, flexible RV is mechanically coupled to the pulmonary circulation and the left ventricular septum, it distorts with any disturbance in the cardiopulmonary system. TR, therefore, can result from pulmonary hypertension, left heart failure, or intrinsic RV dysfunction; but once it occurs, TR initiates a cycle of worsening RV volume overload, potentially progressing to right heart failure.

Right Ventricular Shape Distortion in Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a failure in right-sided AV valve function which, if left untreated, leads to marked cardiac shape changes and heart failure. However, the specific right ventricular shape changes resulting from TR are unknown. The goal of this study is to characterize the RV shape changes of patients with severe TR.