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Updated: May 14, 2026

An Intact Pericardium Ischemic Rodent Model
Published on: September 2, 2021
Prognostic predictors in pericardiectomy for chronic constrictive pericarditis
Se Hun Kang1, Jong-Min Song1, Minsoo Kim1
1Division of Cardiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
High early diastolic mitral inflow velocity and diabetes mellitus predict poor prognosis after pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis. Echocardiography can help identify high-risk patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Prognosis following pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis is not well-defined, particularly in Asian populations.
- Causes of constrictive pericarditis vary geographically, necessitating region-specific prognostic factor identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify preoperative prognostic factors and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing pericardiectomy for chronic constrictive pericarditis.
- To evaluate the utility of Doppler echocardiography in predicting outcomes after pericardiectomy.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 85 patients with chronic constrictive pericarditis undergoing pericardiectomy.
- Evaluation of preoperative clinical, imaging, and echocardiographic data.
- Follow-up for all-cause mortality over a median of 38.5 months.
Main Results:
- Fifteen patients (17.6%) died during follow-up.
- Higher aspartate aminotransferase, smaller left ventricular end-systolic dimension index, and higher early diastolic mitral inflow velocity were observed in non-survivors.
- Diabetes mellitus (HR 4.610) and high early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (HR 1.050/cm/s) were independent predictors of mortality.
Conclusions:
- Preoperative high early diastolic mitral inflow velocity and diabetes mellitus are associated with poor prognosis after pericardiectomy.
- Doppler echocardiography, specifically early diastolic mitral inflow velocity, is valuable for predicting mortality risk in these patients.
- These findings aid in risk stratification and patient management before pericardiectomy.
Objective:
Prognosis after pericardiectomy remains to be clearly elucidated, especially in Asian countries, where the causes of constrictive pericarditis differ from those in Western countries. We aimed to investigate the preoperative prognostic factors and clinical outcomes after pericardiectomy in patients with chronic constrictive pericarditis.
Methods:
Preoperative clinical and imaging characteristics were evaluated in 85 consecutive patients with chronic constrictive pericarditis without other valvular or ischemic heart diseases who underwent pericardiectomy. Causes were idiopathic in 49 patients (57.6%) and tuberculous in 36 patients (42.4%). All-cause death was observed for a median of 38.5 months.
Results:
Of 85 patients, 15 (17.6%) died during follow-up. These 15 patients who died during follow-up had higher aspartate aminotransferase, smaller left ventricular end-systolic dimension index, and higher early diastolic mitral inflow velocity before pericardiectomy than the 70 patients who survived. Multivariate Cox proportional analysis showed that diabetes mellitus (hazard ratio, 4.610; P = .024) and high early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (hazard ratio, 1.050/cm/s; P = .002) before pericardiectomy were independent predictors of mortality after pericardiectomy. The preoperative cutoff value for early diastolic mitral inflow velocity in predicting mortality after pericardiectomy was 71 cm/s (sensitivity of 84.6% and specificity of 52.2%), and there was a significant difference in survival between groups divided by this cutoff value of early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (P = .029).
Conclusions:
Preoperative high early diastolic mitral inflow velocity and diabetes mellitus were predictors of poor prognosis after pericardiectomy in patients with chronic constrictive pericarditis. These results suggest that preoperative Doppler echocardiographic evaluation may be valuable not only for diagnosing constrictive pericarditis but also for predicting prognosis after pericardiectomy.
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