Echocardiography. 2026 Jan;43(1):e70393. doi: 10.1111/echo.70393.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Using echocardiography to evaluate tricuspid regurgitation (TR) caused by chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and to investigate the impact of TR on right atrial function, thereby enabling early monitoring and intervention of TR to protect right atrial function.
METHODS: Eighty patients diagnosed with CTEPH between October 2022 and October 2024 were included in this study. These patients were divided into three groups based on the quantitative grading method for TR: mild TR (29 cases), moderate TR (30 cases), and severe TR (21 cases). Meanwhile, 24 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations and were matched with the case group in terms of age and gender were selected as the control group. Clinical data, echocardiographic parameters, and other relevant information of all study subjects were collected. The above data were subjected to statistical analysis to explore the effects of various factors, including TR, on the reservoir function, conduit function, and booster pump function of the right atrium.
RESULTS: Univariate linear regression analysis showed that the related variables, including heart rate, WHO functional class, main pulmonary artery diameter, pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), right ventricular basal diameter, right ventricular anterior wall thickness, right ventricular global function (RVGF), tricuspid annular diameter (TAD), tricuspid valve coaptation length (TVCL), and TR, exhibited a linear relationship with right atrial total ejection fraction (TotEF) and passive ejection fraction (PassEF), but no linear relationship with right atrial active ejection fraction (ActEF). Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that PASP, RVGF, and TR severity were the main factors affecting right atrial TotEF and PassEF. Specifically, right atrial TotEF and PassEF gradually decreased with the increase in PASP, the decline in RVGF, and the aggravation of TR severity.
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CTEPH, the reservoir function and conduit function of the right atrium gradually decrease with the aggravation of TR, the impairment of RVGF, and the elevation of PASP.
PMID:41527352 | DOI:10.1111/echo.70393