Surgery for chronic pericarditis--thirty-years' experience.
During the past 3 decades, surgical treatment was performed on 75 cases with chronic exsudative or constrictive pericarditis, except for cases suffered from malignant tumor or trauma. Among 7 cases with chronic exsudative pericarditis, 5 underwent pericardiectomy and 2 had a fenestration of the pericardium. As for constrictive pericarditis, pericardiectomy was performed on 68 cases. Excellent surgical results were obtained. The ages of the cases with constrictive pericarditis, who underwent surgery, were significantly higher in the last decade, and the occurrence of pericardial tuberculosis significantly decreased in the last 2 decades. Although pericardiectomy has been performed for constrictive pericarditis without exception, it also plays an important role in the treatment of chronic exsudative pericarditis, especially for cholesterin or tuberculous pericarditis.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D010494:Pericarditis, Constrictive / Q000601:surgery; D010495:Pericarditis, Tuberculous / Q000601:surgery; D010496:Pericardium / Q000601:surgery