Tricuspid regurgitation diagnosed by intravenous digital subtraction angiography

In spite of numerous available diagnostic methods, controversies concerning the precise diagnosis of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) still remain. In right ventriculography, catheter placement may modify tricuspid valvular function. Though noninvasive Doppler echocardiography is a useful method, it is sometimes too sensitive for clinical use. Furthermore, it is not applicable to cases in which ultrasound penetration is limited. In this study, we evaluated TR using intravenous digital subtraction angiography (DSA), which can provide good images even in cases with poorly recorded echocardiograms. For this study, we placed a catheter in the superior vena cava. Cardiac DSA examinations were performed in one hundred and one patients with heart disease. We injected 35 ml of contrast medium at a speed of 18 ml/sec via a catheter introduced in the superior vena cava. DSA images by continuous mode were obtained in the RAO projection for 15-20 sec. Sequential DSA images were observed and analyzed by time-density curves of the regions of interest (ROI) which were placed in the right ventricle (RV) and inferior vena cava (IVC). Doppler echocardiography was performed for 16 cases in which TR was suspected. Of these, phonocardiography with jugular pulse tracing was recorded for 14 and contrast echocardiography were performed for six, respectively. In cases without evidence of TR, regurgitation of contrast medium into the IVC during RV systole was not recorded by the DSA method. In cases of clinically-proven TR, regurgitation into the IVC during RV systole was observed. Thus, this was considered a diagnostic feature of positive TR using the DSA method, and 13 of the 16 cases undergoing Doppler echocardiography were diagnosed as having TR using the DSA method. The severity of TR was categorized as mild, moderate and severe according to analyses of time-density curves. The severity established by the DSA method showed a close correlation with the clinical severity of TR. Doppler echocardiography was negative for TR in two of the 13 cases, but positive for TR in two of the 16 suspected cases only by the Doppler method. In cases of moderate to severe TR diagnosed by the DSA method, jugular pulse tracings showed a regurgitant wave. By contrast echocardiography, TR was evident only in cases of severe TR diagnosed by the DSA method. In conclusion, the DSA method proved useful for diagnosing TR.