title: Pericardioperitoneal shunt: an alternative treatment for malignant pericardial effusion.
abstract: The treatment of 37 consecutive cases of symptomatic malignant pericardial effusion over a period of 13 years was retrospectively analyzed. The most common diagnoses were lung cancer (59%) and breast cancer (11%). In the most recent 4 patients, the Denver pleuroperitoneal shunt was used to drain the pericardial effusion into the peritoneal cavity. In each case, the procedure was performed under local anesthesia, and the patient was discharged 2 to 4 days later without complications. Three of the patients subsequently died of the disease process without evidence of cardiac failure or tamponade during 6-month follow-up. The more traditional means of pericardial drainage, the subxiphoid approach (14 patients) and the anterior thoracotomy approach (19 patients), were associated with higher postoperative morbidity (21% and 53%, respectively) and mortality (7% and 42%, respectively). Because of the small number of patients treated by pericardioperitoneal shunting, a significant difference was demonstrated only in the length of hospital stay (shunt, 2.8 +/- 0.5 days; subxiphoid, 11.2 +/- 4.6 days; thoracotomy, 14.9 +/- 6.1 days). Median survivals were essentially the same (shunt, 3.5 months; subxiphoid, 2.7 months; thoracotomy, 1.2 months). It is apparent that the pericardioperitoneal shunt, although a much simpler procedure, can accomplish similar palliation effectively in the treatment of malignant pericardial effusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University Medical Center, CA 92354.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Feikes
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mogensen
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Vyhmeister
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Bailey
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D010491:Pericardial Window Techniques; D010492:Pericardiectomy; D010496:Pericardium; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity; D012189:Retrospective Studies