Heart failure in a patient with Ebstein disease

Benmallem Othmane, Hatim Zahidi

PAMJ-CM. 2020; 3:96. Published 09 Jul 2020 | doi:10.11604/pamj-cm.2020.3.96.24662

 Ebstein's disease is a rare malformation of the tricuspid valve, accounting for approximately 1% of all cardiac malformations. It is an anomaly of the tricuspid valve where most often the 3 sheets are involved, to varying degrees, preventing the tricuspid valve from working properly. A 32 years old women was addressed to the hospital for palpitations, chronic dyspnea, edema of the lower limbs, and cyanosis. She has no history, nor known cardiovascular risk factors. The initial somatic examination showed signs of right heart failure with blood pressure at 132/75 mmHg, and heart rate at 130 beat per minute. At cardiac auscultation, we noted a systolic murmur on all the precordium, maximum at the tricuspid focus, without signs of left heart failure. The electrocardiogram revealed a common flutter. The echography showed an enormous dilation of the right cavities with atrialization of the ventricule by a low insertion of the tricuspid valve towards the right ventricule tip with offset between the mitral and tricuspid valve above 20mm. The doppler revealed severe tricuspid regurgitation with a pulmonary hypertension estimated at 86 mmHg. After optimal treatment by converting enzyme inhibitor, digitalics, and diuretics,the patient was referred for tricuspid valve replacement associated to an atrialized plication of the right ventricule. Ebstein's disease is a rare malformation of the tricuspid valve. The risk of sudden death remains high and unpredictable even in operated subjects with post-operative clinical improvement.
Corresponding author
Othmane Benmallem, Department of Cardiology Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco (o.benmallem@gmail.com)

This image

Articles published in PAMJ-CM are Open Access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

eISSN: 2707-2797


The PAMJ Clinical Medicine (ISSN: 2707-2797) is a subsidiary of the Pan African Medical Journal. The contents of this journal is intended exclusively for professionals in the medical, paramedical and public health and other health sectors.

Currently tracked by: DOAJ, AIM, Google Scholar, AJOL, EBSCO, Scopus, Embase, IC, HINARI, Global Health, PubMed Central, PubMed/Medline, ESCI

Physical address: Kenya: 3rd Floor, Park Suite Building, Parkland Road, Nairobi. PoBox 38583-00100, tel: +254 (0)20-520-4356 | Cameroon: Immeuble TechnoPark Essos, Yaounde, PoBox: 10020 Yaounde, tel: +237 (0)24-309-5880