prosthetic tricuspid valve thrombosis: three case reports and literature review

a common complication of prosthetic heart valves is thrombosis. although the incidence of prosthetic valve thrombosis (pvt) in the tricuspid position is high, there are not enough data on the management of it, in contrast to left-sided pvt. here, we describe three cases of tricuspid pvt with three different management approaches: thrombolytic therapy; close observation with oral anticoagulants; and surgery. the first case was a woman who suffered from recurrent pvt, for which we successfully used tenecteplase for second and third episodes. we employed tenecteplase in this case for the first time in the therapy of tricuspid pvt. the second case had fixed leaflets in open position while being symptomless. at six months' follow-up, with the patient having taken oral anticoagulants, the motion of the leaflets was restricted and she was symptom- free. the last case was a woman who had a large thrombus in the right atrium immediately after mitral and tricuspid valvular replacement. the patient underwent re-replacement surgery and a new biological valve was implanted in the tricuspid position. also, we review the literature on the pathology, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and management of tricuspid pvt.