Surgery for Constrictive Pericarditis : A Single Center Experience

Constrictive pericarditis is a relatively rare disease that can result in chronic fibrous thickening of the pericardium. We performed this study to summarize the clinical experience of a series of patients with constrictive pericarditis underwent pericardiectomy. We analyzed the clinical features of 30 constrictive pericarditis patients who underwent surgery from January 2010 to June 2015 at our institution. Of the patients, 24 (80%) had tuberculous constrictive pericarditis, 6 (20%) had idiopathic pericarditis. All patients underwent partial or complete pericardiectomy by midline sternotomy. There was no in-hospital mortality rate. There were no case of recurrent constrictive pericarditis after discharge. The 1-year survival rate was 100%. There were 3 cases of perioperative drug induced liver injury. After first discharge, 2 patients were rehospitalized for heart failure. Prompt treatment of constrictive pericarditis are crucial to reduce mortality and morbidity. Pericardiectomy should be performed early after diagnosis. After surgery, inotropes, diuretics and nutrition supply are also critical to improve the prognosis.