Feline tricuspid dysplasia: not so rare in Bradford
It always makes me mad when exam questions ask ‘What is the commonest…….’ because it varies so much from one publication to another and from one geographical area to another. Dysplasia of the tricuspid valve is supposedly relatively rare in cats; but it has been the most frequently seen feline congenital heart defect in our practice this year.
This kitten is severely affected -presenting with right-heart congestive failure. Sometimes those with really large regurgitation jets have surprisingly quiet (or absent) murmurs and this cat was normal on auscultation at vaccination. Flow through really large valve defects can be almost laminar.
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The TV leaflets are very stubby and thickened. Increased right atrial pressure is causing a dramatic bowing of the interatrial septum to the left.
This still image shows eccentric twin jets of reurgitation breaking through the closed valve. In cardiomyopathies or regurgitation secondary to RV pressure overload the jet is usually single and relatively central.
