EchoBridgeMD Pearl #11: TAPSE For Rapid Quantitative Assessment of Longitudinal Right Ventricular Systolic Function

Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is a simple, reproducible quantitative measure of longitudinal right ventricular (RV) systolic function.

In the RV-focused apical 4-chamber view, TAPSE is measured using M-mode as the vertical displacement of the lateral tricuspid annulus from end-diastole to end-systole.

Because the RV's deep subendocardial fibers are oriented longitudinally, this motion accounts for approximately 80% of RV stroke volume.

Greater systolic descent of the tricuspid annulus toward the apex therefore reflects better RV systolic function. A TAPSE < 17 mm is generally considered abnormal and suggests impaired longitudinal RV systolic function.

Reference:

📖 Alerhand S, Hickey SM. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) for risk stratification and prognostication of patients with pulmonary embolism. J Emerg Med. 2020.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31735658/

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