• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 1968

In the 10 years from 1958 through 1968, 23 patients have undergone 24 times of operation for constrictive pericarditis at this department. Follow-up data were available for periods varying several months to almost 10 years from examination at this department or follow-up letters. There were 21 males and 2 females in this series. Range of the age varied from 2 years to 53 years. Seven cases were below 15 years of age. There were two hospital death, one expired two weeks and another four weeks after the pericardiectomy. In both of them, myocardial damage by disease process seemed to be major contributing factors. Clinical and histological study showed tuberculous origin in 12 cases, non-specific chronic infiammatory changes in 8 cases and in 3 cases previous pyogenic pericardial infection by staphylococcus preceded to the constriction. In 11 cases bone tissue was noted microscopically in the pericardium: Sixteen patients[70 %]had pleural effusions, five cases had bilateral, 6 right, and 5 left. Calcification was seen along cardiac border in 9 cases. In 15 catheterized patients, 6 showed pressure gradients between vena cava and right atrium, ranging from 6 mmHg to 10 mmHg. One case was reoperated 3 months after the original operation resulting in marked improvement. In this reoperated case the original pericardiectomy seemed to be incomplete. In 21 cases. excluding 2 hospital death, symptoms and physical findings improved markedly in every patient

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.437-440
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• 2010

Cardiac mesotheliomas are rare. It is difficult to diagnose them at an early stage because the symptoms are nonspecific. Here we report two cases that had been initially diagnosed as constrictive pericarditis but later were definitively diagnosed, after pericardiectomy, as mesothelioma. The two patients complained of dyspnea that lasted 4 months and 10 years. Chest CT showed mild pericardial effusion and thickened pericardium, which was found enveloping the heart without any lumps. Median sternotomy showed that the overall pericardium was thickened by more than 10 mm. Pericardiectomy (phrenic nerve to phrenic nerve) was performed and post-operative histology confirmed malignant mesothelioma. In one patient the disease recurred near the pericardium post-operatively at 7 months and the patient died at 11 months. The other patient received chemotherapy and was still alive at post-operative month 16. Pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely rare disease exhibiting clinical signs similar to those of constrictive pericarditis, and should be diagnosed at an early stage of onset.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.695-698
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• 1986

Only five instances of chylopericardium following cardiac surgery have been reported in the literature previously. We encounted this complication in a patient who was operated on for secundum atrial septal defect. The patient readmitted one month after discharge because of large amount of chylous pericardial effusion. Conservative treatment of pericardiostomy drainage and parenteral hyperalimentation was continued for 3 weeks without improvement. Partial pericardiectomy and pericardiopleural window was done with success and no recurrence of chylopericardium was observed upto 3 months after surgery. We think this is the first case report of chylopericardium after open heart surgery in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Clinics Conference
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.269-269
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• 2009

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.280-284
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• 1980

This is report of two cases of annular constrictive pericarditis. Since January 1959 to December 1979 the authors experienced 48 cases of chronic constrictive pericarditis treated surgically at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the National Medical Center in Seoul. These cases simulated valvular heart disease. One case, as mitral stenosis, revealed rumbling apical diastolic murmur [II/VI], atrial fibrillation and right ventricular hypertrophy pattern on E.C.G., the other, as infundibular pulmonic stenosis, presented pressure gradient between right ventricle and main pulmonary artery at infundibular level of 76 mmHg in systole. Both patients underwent operation successfully and one of them was assisted by E.C.C. during pericardiectomy and result was excellent. It is difficult to make the diagnosis of these conditions preoperatively so consideration about these might be important to make the diagnosis accurately.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.153-156
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• 2020

A 14-year-old intact female Cocker Spaniel dog, weighing 6.8 kg, presented with chief complaints of severe cough, dyspnea, anorexia, and exercise intolerance. It had the characteristics of a blood clot, the evidence of mitral regurgitation, a high left atrial/aortic root ratio, and pericardial effusion with a left atrial rupture due to myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD) was strongly suspected. Traditional therapy (pimobendan, furosemide, enalapril, and spironolactone) for heart failure with MMVD was provided twice a day orally, and partial pericardiectomy was performed for pericardial effusion. The medical prescriptions for MMVD were continued, and the patient's heart disease was well-controlled. However, it suddenly died 3 months after the operation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.793-797
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• 1994

Constrictive pericarditis is often accompanied with ~brothorax and deterioration of cardiac, hemodynamic functions. Surgical relief of fibrous peel causes remarkable improvement in pulmonary, cardiac, hemodynamic function, and subjective symptoms. We experienced 4 cases of constrictive pericarditis combined with bilateral ~brothorax after bilateral pleural effusion caused by tuberculosis and non-specific inflammation. Pleural decortication and pericardiectomy were done at the same time through anterolateral thoracotomy with sternal transection[3 patients] and median sternotomy incision[l patient]. Low cardiac output was the most common complication. With left anterolateral thoracotomy, we could prevent the hypotension from massive retraction for dissecting by median sternotomy, which was good for dissecting from anterior wall of left ventricle to posterior wall of left ventricle and surrounding phrenic nerve. It was enough to dissect the portion being through hard to dissect, right atrium, SVC and IVC.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.8 s.253
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• pp.576-578
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• 2005

We report aprimary malignant pericardial mesothelioma. Thirty-eight-year-old male patient complained of dyspnea and chest pain with left shoulder pain. At first, we thought it was because of tuberculous constrictive pericarditis and performed medical management for one and a half years. But, the above symptom recurred repeatedly; therefore we did pericardiectomy and diagnosed his case as malignant pericardial mesothelioma. Tumor was sticked to the myocardium and complete resection was impossible. He received postoperative chemoradiotherapy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.263-268
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• 1984

Four patients of acute purulent pericarditis were seen at the Jeonbug National University Hospital between January, 1979 and December 1983. All patients were proven to have acute purulent pericarditis by clinical evaluation, bacterial study, and biopsy. Three patients were male and one female. The three patients were in pediatric age. The primary focuses were meningitis, Rt. coxitis, lobar pneumonia, and gastro-enteritis. The causative organisms were staphylococcus aureus in two patients. In the other two patients, organisms were not cultured from the pericardial pus. The reason why the causative organisms were not cultured in pericardial pus was probably due to massive antimicrobial treatment before pus collection. All patients were treated with systemic antibiotic therapy and pericardiostomy with normal saline irrigation. The three patients were treated without specific complication. The one patient developed the chronic constrictive pericarditis. In this patient, pericardiectomy was performed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.487-490
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• 1995

We have experienced the 37 patients of pericardial effusion during last 8 years[1986-1993 . They were 17 male and 20 female patients, and their age range was 6months to 80 years.The causes of this pericardial effusion were 10 cases of tuberculosis, 7 cases of malignancy, 2 cases of acute pyogenic infection, 2 cases of postpericardiotomy pericardial effusion, 2 cases of trauma, 1 case of congenital heart disease, 1 case of SLE, and other 12 cases of unknown origin. All patients, except one, were managed by pericardiotomy with subxiphoid tube drainage. One case was managed by pericardiectomy. After operation, their symptoms and sign were dramaticaly improved. However, 3 patients were died postoperatively. Two of them were died of respiratory failure. One of them was died 28 months later with unrelated cause. They have already far advanced lung cancer. We conclude that the pericardiotomy with subxiphoid tube drainage was effective treatment in the patients with pericardial effusion.