title: [Pericardioperitoneal shunt in the treatment of pericardial effusions in neoplasic patients].
abstract: Neoplasia-related pericardial effusions are a frequent finding and pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Although they appear in the context of an underlying neoplastic disease, 50% of these effusions have a benign etiology; they are indirectly caused by the tumor. The remaining cases (neoplastic pericardial effusions - NPE) derive from extension of tu- moral disease to the epi and/or pericardium and have, therefore, a worst prognosis. Despite several treatment options, the lack of appropriate guidelines difficults the evaluation of their efficacy and safety. Pericardioperitoneal shunt (PPS) is a surgical pericardial drainage method, which has demonstrated its usefulness in the management of NPE. At the CHC, this procedure is performed under videoassisted toracoscopic guidance (VATS). During the last 8 years, 18 patients have been submitted to this therapeutic option, which proved to be safe, efficacious and with low morbimortality rates.
authors.affiliation: Interno Complementar de Pneumologia, Serviço de Pneumologia do Centro Hospitalar de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nuno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cortesão
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barata
authors.forename: António Correia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Matos
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janelas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D010496:Pericardium / Q000601:surgery*; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000601:surgery*