Surgical Management of Pericardial Diseases

Disease of the pericardium represents a relatively rare indication for cardiac surgery, and there exist no widely accepted guidelines for surgical management. As such, the surgical approach to the pericardium has relied largely on institutional experience with a slow evolution based on published studies. In particular, management of pericardial constriction has varied widely from surgeon to surgeon and institution to institution, in large part due to a perception of inherent high risk to the procedure. This review covers the current practice of surgery for disease of the pericardium, with particular focus on the evolution of indications for pericardiectomy, new applications in inflammatory or relapsing pericarditis, and the progressive refinement in surgical technique and operative planning which have led to significantly improved outcomes in experienced centers.