title: [Etiological diagnosis of the patients with pericarditis after pericardiectomy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the etiological diagnosis of the patients with pericarditis after pericardiectomy to improve the clinical diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical and pathological data of 52 patients with pericarditis after pericardiectomy were a retrospective analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen cases (26.9%) were tuberculous, 4 cases (7.7%) were cancerous and 34 cases presented as non-idiopathic changes. Of the non-idiopathic cases, 2 cases were traumatic pericarditis and 1 case was related to radiation, the cause of the other patients were of unknown. Compared with non-idiopathic group, the patients in tuberculous group had a shorter course (P < 0.01). The histories of fever, acute pericarditis, pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade were more frequent in the tuberculous group than in the non-idiopathic group (P < 0.01-0.05). Four patients with cancerous pericarditis were all refractory pericardial effusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of constrictive pericarditis are of unknown cause, but in known causes tuberculosis has a high incidence. Refractory pericardial effusion is often seen in patients with malignant tumor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-cheng
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiang-ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D010492:Pericardiectomy; D010494:Pericarditis, Constrictive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014375:Tuberculoma / Q000175:diagnosis*