First Trimester Tricuspid Regurgitation: Clinical Significance

Tricuspid regurgitation is a cardiac valvular anomaly that consists of the return of blood to the right atrium during systole due to incomplete valve closure. This structure can be visualized on ultrasound between 11 and 14 weeks of gestation in most cases. Despite being a common finding, even in healthy fetuses, the presence of tricuspid regurgitation may be associated with chromosomal and structural abnormalities. The evaluation of tricuspid flow and the presence of regurgitation on first-trimester ultrasound has shown promising results regarding its role in the early detection of aneuploidies, congenital heart defects, and other adverse perinatal outcomes. This review article aims to demonstrate the importance of tricuspid regurgitation as a secondary marker, and consequently, significant benefits of its early detection when added to the combined first-trimester screening. Its value will be discussed, namely its sensitivity and specificity, alone and together with other current markers in the fetal assessment performed in the first-trimester ultrasound.