Perioperative Continuation of Interleukin-1 Blockade in Chronic Constrictive Pericarditis: Imaging-Guided Surgical...

Interleukin (IL)-1 inhibitors have transformed pericarditis management by controlling inflammation and preventing relapse. Their use around pericardiectomy in patients with fixed constriction remains largely unreported.

A 42-year-old man with a long-standing inflammatory pericardial syndrome, consistent with incessant pericarditis, developed right-sided heart failure despite long-term anakinra, prednisone, and colchicine, suggestive of evolution to constrictive pericarditis. Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance showed constrictive physiology with pericardial thickening and late gadolinium enhancement but no active edema, supporting a diagnosis of chronic constrictive pericarditis. After invasive hemodynamics confirmed fixed constriction, he was referred for surgical evaluation. Radical pericardiectomy was performed while IL-1 blockade was continued perioperatively. Pathology confirmed dense fibrosis with patchy chronic inflammation. He recovered fully after gradual tapering of anakinra over 3-months postoperatively.

This case illustrates the evolution from acute to incessant to constrictive pericarditis and highlights that IL-1 inhibition alone cannot reverse established fibrotic constriction once remodeling is complete.

Recognizing the transition from inflammation to fixed constriction is essential for directing patients toward surgical evaluation. IL-1 inhibition can be continued safely around the time of pericardiectomy to prevent rebound inflammation.