Doppler detection of tricuspid regurgitation following Kawasaki disease

Between June 1984 and April 1985, five patients (4.2%) had tricuspid regurgitation detected on pulsed Doppler echocardiography among 119 patients with Kawasaki disease. The grade of tricuspid regurgitation was moderate in three and mild in two patients; conventional cardiac examinations revealed no evidence of this complication. All patients had associated coronary artery aneurysms except one, but no patients developed subsequent myocardial infarction. The occurrence of tricuspid regurgitation following Kawasaki disease has been considered to be causally related to the carditis, a frequent complication during the acute febrile period of the illness. The present data indicate that tricuspid regurgitation is an additional cardiovascular complication of Kawasaki disease and that Doppler echocardiography is useful in detecting this disorder.