Postoperative hemodynamic studies were conducted at rest and during exercise in 24 patients who, in addition to mitral and/or aortic valve surgery, had De Vega's tricuspid anuloplasty. To determine the degree of tricuspid insufficiency (TI), right atrial pressure (PRA) tracings, biplane right ventricular cineangiograms, and ultrasonic Doppler flow patterns were obtained. 20 patients had postoperative by a mild to moderate TI, but after operation the TI had improved by one or more degrees in 14 cases. In addition, a mild to moderate tricuspid stenosis with pressure gradients from 2.0 to 7.8 mm Hg were found in 12 patients. There was no significant change in mean right atrial pressure (PRA) with 8.0 +/- 4.5 mm Hg preoperatively and 7.5 +/- 3.5 mmHg postoperatively at rest. During exercise PRA rose to 17.0 +/- 6.5 mmHg. This pressure increase is in part due to the persistent elevation of left atrial and pulmonary artery pressure, in part to the TI and the tricuspid stenosis. De Vega's anuloplasty does not answer the tricuspid challenge, since the results are unpredictable.