Triviño A, Cózar F, Congregado M, Gallardo G, Moreno-Merino S, Jiménez-Merchán R, Loscertales J. [Pericardial window by videothorascopy].
Cir Esp 2011;
89:677-80. [PMID:
21906729 DOI:
10.1016/j.ciresp.2011.05.006]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2010] [Revised: 02/06/2011] [Accepted: 05/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Pericardial effusion is a clinical condition requiring multidisciplinary management. There are several surgical techniques for its diagnosis and treatment. In the present study we report our experience in performing a pericardial window (PW) by videothorascopy.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We performed surgery on 56 patients (20 females and 36 males), with a mean age of 56±1.22 years, and diagnosed with moderate to severe chronic pericardial effusion. The side chosen for the approach depended on whether there was an associated pleural effusion or lung lesion, and if not the left side was chosen.
RESULTS
The mean duration of the surgery was 37.6±16 minutes. The definitive diagnoses were malignant processes in 23% of cases, including bronchogenic carcinoma and breast cancer. The intra-operative mortality was 0%.
CONCLUSIONS
Videothorascopic pericardial window is an effective and safe technique for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pericardial effusion, and which enables it to be drained and perform a pleuro-pulmonary and/or mediastinal biopsy during the same surgical act.
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