Tricuspid and pulmonic valve disease

In the adult, the tricuspid and pulmonic valves are in general less affected by disease states compared to left-sided cardiac valves. While right-sided valves are essential in maintaining hemodynamic balance and in dictating long-term prognosis, valvular disease is better tolerated compared to left-sided valves. With the common occurrence of trivial regurgitation in right-sided valves in normal individuals, noninvasive determination of pulmonary pressures using the Bernoulli principle is frequently feasible. In this chapter, we will present an overview of diseases that affect the tricuspid and pulmonic valves, discuss their echocardiographic characteristics and the methodology for evaluating the severity of valvular regurgitation and stenosis.