title: Cardiac herniation after operative management of lung cancer: a rare and dangerous complication.
abstract: Cardiac herniation after pneumonectomy is recognized as a rare complication. This case report describes two cases. The mortality rate of this complication remains high as reported in the literature; in early-recognized cases 50 % and in late or unrecognized cases 100 %. In the following two cases a pneumonectomy was performed as a treatment for lung cancer. Within 48 h after the initial operative treatment, the clinical situation of the patients got worse and radiographic examinations showed a strongly deviated heart. After suspicion of the diagnosis, the patients were immediately transferred to the operation theatre for emergency thoracotomy. Per-operative the diagnosis was confirmed and the heart was returned into its original position while the defect in the pericardial sac was closed with a bovine pericardial patch. Both patients survived these procedures and did not suffer from any further complication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. jeroen.ponten@catharina-ziekenhuis.nl
authors.forename: Jeroen E H
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ponten
authors.forename: Ted W O
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Elenbaas
authors.forename: Joost F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: ter Woorst
authors.forename: Erik H M
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Korsten
authors.forename: Ben E E M
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: van den Borne
authors.forename: Albert H M
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: van Straten
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006547:Hernia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D059685:Herniorrhaphy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D010492:Pericardiectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012086:Reoperation; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome