[Early and late results of pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis].
Seven patients (4 males and 3 females: age 1 to 71 years old) who underwent operations for constrictive pericarditis from 1980 were reviewed. The median sternotomy approach was used without cardiopulmonary bypass. The pericardial flap was excised just anterior to both phrenic nerves. The postoperative hemodynamic improvement was good, especially in cardiac index (from 2.30 to 3.30 l/min/m2). Two patients were operative death. One was metastasis to pericardium from gastric cancer and another was multiple organ failure due to sepsis. Long-term survival was 3 to 13 years. One patient was dead at nine years after operation. Others were in New York Heart Association Class 1 or 2 in the long-term period after surgery. We conclude that our method can lead to good cardiac functional results and long-term good results. Our report wishes to emphasize early diagnosis and operation.
Tsuboi
H
H
1st Department of Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
Minami
Y
Y
Goura
H
H
Hamano
K
K
Katoh
T
T
Fujimura
Y
Y
Esato
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010492:Pericardiectomy / Q000379:methods; D010494:Pericarditis, Constrictive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome