Constrictive pericarditis after sclerosing therapy with mitomycin C for malignant pericardial effusion: report of a...

Malignant pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening oncological emergency. Pericardiocentesis with sclerosing therapy is a life-saving palliative treatment procedure. Because of the short life expectancy in these patients, pericardial constriction after pericardial sclerosing therapy has been rarely reported in the literature. We report a patient with malignant pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade which was successfully controlled by intrapericardial mitomycin C instillation. This patient developed pericardial constriction six months after mitomycin C pericardial sclerosis. It should be noted that pericardial constriction may occur if a patient survives long enough after successful pericardial sclerosis.