Reversed closure sequence of the mitral and tricuspid valves in congestive heart failure

The purpose of this study was to evaluate functional and hemodynamic factors that determine the mitral-tricuspid and aortic-pulmonary valve closure sequence in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

The physiologic factors determining closure sequence of cardiac valves in various forms of heart disease have been found to be complex. Few data exist for dilated cardiomyopathy, particularly for differentiating the effects of a conduction delay versus changes in ventricular performance.

A group of 64 patients were compared with 36 control subjects. Timing of valve closure and electromechanical intervals were determined by combined M-mode echocardiography, phonocardiography and apexcardiography. Hemodynamic data from right heart catheterization were available in 46 patients.

In all control subjects, the aortic valve closed before the pulmonary valve and the mitral valve closed before the tricuspid valve. In the study group, 30 patients (49%) had reversed aortic-pulmonary valve closure and 27 (90%) of these had a left-sided conduction delay. There were 38 patients (60%) who had reversed mitral-tricuspid valve closure, but this was unrelated to the presence of a left-sided conduction delay. The presence of high ventricular filling pressures and poor systolic function was associated with delayed closure of both the mitral and the tricuspid valve. This caused the closure sequence to be related to the size of the difference between mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure and mean central venous pressure and also the magnitude of right ventricular dysfunction. Patients with a low wedge pressure (< 16 mm Hg) and a low central venous pressure (< 10 mm Hg) had a low prevalence of mitral-tricuspid valve closure reversal (30%). Those with a high wedge pressure (> 16 mm Hg) but a low central venous pressure had a high prevalence (86%) of reversal of mitral-tricuspid valve closure. Patients with high wedge and central venous pressures had a moderate prevalence (47%) of mitral-tricuspid valve closure reversal. Similar findings were observed for right ventricular dysfunction. If the right ventricle was normal or severely dysfunctional, a reversed closure sequence was less common (52% and 41%, respectively) than if moderate dysfunction was present (78%).

Aortic-pulmonary valve closure sequence is strongly related to the presence of a left-sided conduction delay. The mitral-tricuspid valve closure sequence is unrelated to a conduction delay but can be reversed by relative differences in the severity of systolic dysfunction and filling pressures between the two ventricles.