Surgery for triple valve disease

Triple valve disease refers to dysfunction of all three heart valves: mitral, aortic and tricuspid. This pathology is essentially of rheumatic origin. Valvular heart disease is now rare in Western countries, thanks to the decline in rheumatic fever. However, they remain frequent in our country.These triple disorders are characterized by great diversity in their clinical presentation and evolution, as they associate varying degrees of leakage and stenosis in each of the valve orifices. Diagnosis of this pathology relies essentially on cardiac Doppler ultrasound, which can also be used to assess the impact on cardiac function and pulmonary pressures. The treatment of this condition has benefited greatly from advances in cardiac surgery over the last few decades. However, despite advances in surgical techniques, myocardial protection and post-operative resuscitation, this type of surgery still carries a high mortality rate.

Autorentext

Chirurgo cardiovascolare.Professore associato presso la Facoltà di Medicina di Sfax, Tunisia.