Severe constrictive pericarditis after single 16 MeV anterior mantle irradiation for Hodgkin's disease

Severe constrictive pericarditis developed in 4 of 73 patients after single anterior 16 MeV mantle field irradiation for Hodgkin's disease. 3 patients (4.1%) died; the other had successful pericardectomy. Use of a single anterior mantle field of high-energy X-rays is clearly more hazardous than conventional opposed-field techniques, and the resulting radiation pericarditis is difficult to treat.