Surgical Treatment of Constrictive Pericarditis: a Single-Center Experience

Abstract

Introduction: Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a rare and potentially lethal disease. It is one of the important reasons of the right-sided heart failure, and it requires immediate intervention. The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term and mid-term results in patients who were operated for CP in our hospital center. Patients and Methods: We evaluated data of 27 patients who underwent pericardiectomy due to CP in our center. Clinical findings, results of imaging modalities, the surgical technique, and the follow-up were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The mean age of our patients was 49.78 years. The most common symptom was dyspnea. Peripheral edema was the most common sign during the physical examination. The mean pericardium thickness ranged between 3.4 mm and 6.6 mm in diameter. Total pericardiectomy was performed in 15 patients (55.6%), while partial pericardiectomy was performed in 12 patients (44.4%). Pericardiectomy with concomitant cardiac surgery was performed in 5 patients (18.5%). Unfortunately, postoperative mortality occurred in 4 patients (14.8%). Conclusion: Surgical removal of pericardium is a treatment modality that should be preferred in patients with CP, despite high mortality rates reported in some series.