Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma - a rare cause of pericardial effusion and consecutive constrictive pericarditis: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma is a very rare pericardial tumor of unknown etiology.


METHODS
A 61-year-old Caucasian woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of exertional dyspnea due to a large pericardial effusion. Intrapericardial fluid volume declined after repeated pericardiocentesis, but the patient progressively developed a hemodynamically relevant pericardial constriction. Pericardiectomy revealed a pericardial mesothelioma. Subsequently, four cycles of chemotherapy (dosage according to recently published trials) were administered. The patient remained asymptomatic, and there was no recurrence of the tumor after three years.


CONCLUSIONS
Pericardial mesothelioma should be considered and managed appropriately in non-responders to pericardiocentesis, and in patients who develop constrictive pericarditis late in their clinical course.
Butz
Thomas
T
Faber
Lothar
L
Langer
Christoph
C
Körfer
Jan
J
Lindner
Oliver
O
Tannapfel
Andrea
A
Müller
Klaus-Michael
KM
Meissner
Axel
A
Plehn
Gunnar
G
Trappe
Hans-Joachim
HJ
Horstkotte
Dieter
D
Piper
Cornelia
C