[Constrictive pericarditis: diagnostic aspects and surgical results in 23 cases]

We reviewed the clinical data on 23 patients operated on for constrictive pericarditis. Mean age was 35 years and 17 were males. The chief complaint was dyspnea (87%). Outstanding physical findings were venous hypertension (96%), hepatomegaly (78%), ascitis (57%), pulsus paradoxus (57%) and Kussmaul sign (43%). The ECG, although always abnormal was non contributory. Chest X ray findings included cardiomegaly (48%) and pericardial calcification (35%). Half of the cases showed pericardial thickening and abnormal septal motion on M mode echocardiography. An equalization of diastolic pressures and the dip and plateau sign was confirmed at cardiac catheterization in all cases. The etiology could be established in only 6 patients (tuberculosis 3, traumatic 2 and septic 1). Surgical mortality was 9% (2 patients). Follow up was available on 10 patients at a mean of 35 months, 9 in functional class I and 1 in FC II.