Unusual Mechanism of Tricuspid Regurgitation in Ventricular Septal Defect

A 37-year-old woman was diagnosed to have a small ventricular septal defect (VSD) with high velocity tricuspid regurgitation (TR) that was attributed to atrio-VSD (Gerbode). Cardiac MR revealed a small subaortic VSD in the membranous portion of the interventricular septum. The atrioventricular portion was intact. Cardiac MR clearly showed flow jet through the VSD, impinging on the anterior tricuspid leaflet during systole, and bouncing back into the right atrium as TR. This ricochet mechanism of TR in VSD may be misinterpreted as Gerbode defect or as evidence of pulmonary hypertension. (Echocardiography 2011;28:E36-E38).