Stubbornly preserving native leaflets is not always right: a case of tricuspid valve re-operation

Tricuspid valve replacement is becoming more and more popular at various medical centres due to the increase in numbers of patients with tricuspid regurgitation. We report on a case of a 59-year-old man who had undergone tricuspid valve replacement with preservation of the native leaflets two years earlier, and developed early prosthetic dysfunction, which may have been caused by fusion of the native valve leaflets with the prosthetic valve leaflets. The experience of this case informs us that preserving the subvalvular apparatus may impede the motion of the prosthesis, and that adapting the individual morphology of the native tricuspid valve during tricuspid valve replacement could benefit the patient and avoid re-operation.