[Constrictive pericarditis as a late complication of heart operations]

Constrictive pericarditis is a rare complication of previous cardiac surgery, the rate of incidence being approximately 0.1 to 0.3%. Until now about 60 cases have been documented. With increasing frequency of surgical procedures, especially bypass operations, cardiac surgery plays a major role in the etiology of pericardial constriction. In our own series of 12 consecutive pericardiectomies previous cardiac surgery was in 4 cases responsible for the constriction. These cases are presented in detail. A correct diagnosis is difficult and - as in our own cases - often not noticed for a long period of time because the symptoms are obliterated by the primary heart disease and the previous operation. In our own patients the diagnosis was eventually established by echocardiography and then confirmed by right sided heart catheterization. Due to the late diagnosis the results of pericardiectomy - considered the method of choice - were only poor. Two patients, both in a very bad overall condition, died soon after surgery. The remaining 2 patients recovered satisfactorily. Regarding the pathogenesis, hematomas seem to play a leading role in the development of subsequent pericardial fibrosis. Typically the patients present symptoms of a prolonged pericarditis soon after the original surgical intervention. The time between cardiac surgery and the development of constrictive features varies between weeks and years. The postoperative course of patients with excessive postoperative bleeding or larger pericardial effusions should be watched carefully, keeping the possibility of later pericardial constriction in mind.