Effectiveness and long-term outcomes of surgical intervention for constrictive epicardium in constrictive pericarditis

Objective Epicardial resection is considered effective in patients with constrictive pericarditis accompanied by epicardial constriction, but few publications have evaluated its long-term outcomes. The study objective was to evaluate early and late results of epicardial resection. Methods A total of 22 patients with pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis were treated at our institution between 1989 and 2016. They were stratified by the presence or absence of constrictive epicardium and the surgical intervention performed. Group A ( n = 7) included those with constrictive epicardium and epicardial resection in addition to pericardiectomy. Group B ( n = 5) included those with constrictive epicardium and single pericardiectomy. Group C ( n = 10) included those without constrictive epicardium and with a single pericardiectomy. Postsurgical changes were evaluated by echocardiography. Results No significant differences were found in preoperative baseline characteristics, operative details, and operative mortality among the groups. The median postoperative follow-up was 80 months. Group A patients did not experience cardiac events, and left ventricular end-diastolic volume and stroke volume were significantly improved at late follow-up compared with before and soon after surgery. The early postsurgical parameters were significantly improved in Group C patients, but the improvements were attenuated on late follow-up. Group B patients had the highest occurrence of cardiac events and no improvement in echocardiographic parameters. Conclusion Surgical intervention in constrictive epicardium improved echocardiographic parameters and was free of cardiac events during long-term follow-up.