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Mitral regurgitation following pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis
Cheng He1, Reny Suryani2, Chin Hiew2
1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia chenghe@me.com.
Insights
Pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis can cause temporary mitral regurgitation. This condition resolved spontaneously in a patient within nine months post-surgery.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Constrictive pericarditis requires pericardiectomy for definitive treatment.
- Phrenic nerve-to-phrenic nerve pericardiectomy is a surgical approach.
Observation:
- A 67-year-old male developed moderate to severe mitral regurgitation post-pericardiectomy.
- Serial echocardiography monitored the mitral regurgitation.
Findings:
- Mitral regurgitation showed improvement 19 days after surgery.
- Complete resolution of mitral regurgitation occurred at 9 months.
Implications:
- Transient mitral valve dysfunction may occur after pericardiectomy.
- Spontaneous resolution suggests reversible mechanisms.
- Further research into these mechanisms is warranted.
Abstract:
Pericardiectomy is the only definitive treatment option for patients with constrictive pericarditis. We present the case of a 67-year-old man who developed new moderate to severe mitral regurgitation following phrenic nerve-to-phrenic nerve pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis. The severity of the regurgitation was followed up by serial echocardiography which showed improvement 19 days later and complete resolution at 9 months after surgery. Potential mechanisms explaining the evolution of this mitral valve dysfunction in the setting of pericardiectomy are postulated.
