from January, 1983, to August, 1993, 23 cases of pericardiectomy for chronic constrictive pericarditis were carried out. The 15 male and 8 female patients ranged in age from 7 to 68 years (mean 39.1 years). All patients underwent pericardiectomy
through
a median sternotomy. Postoperative complications were low cardiac output (2 patients), wound infection (2 patients), pneumonia (2 patients), and unilateral phrenic nerve palsy (2 patients). One patients died of low cardiac output 1 day after
pericardiectomy due to the associated transposition of great artery and hypoplastic right lung. Clinical and pathological findings showed that the cause of constrictive pericarditis was tuberculous in 8 cases (34.8%), idiopatic in 12 cases
(52.2%)
and
pyogenic in 3 cases (13.0%). Central venous perssure fell below 10cmH2O by immediate in 6 cases, fell below 10cmH2O by 24hrs in 5 cases and continued above 10cmH2O after 24hrs in 12 cases. Preoperative NYHA functional class of patients showed
class
Ⅰ-1, classⅡ-4, class Ⅲ-14, and class Ⅳ-3. Postoperativly NYHA functional class was improved to class Ⅰ-15, classⅡ-6, class Ⅲ-1.
(Korean J Thoracic Cardiovas Surg 1995;28:243-9)
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