Pericardiectomy for a patient with constrictive pericarditis and multivessel coronary artery disease

INTRODUCTION: Pericardiectomy for patients with constrictive pericarditis and multivessel coronary artery disease is rare. Therefore, there is limited experience of pericardiectomy in these patients. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We performed only pericardiectomy under the support of intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) for a patient with tuberculous constrictive pericarditis and multivessel coronary artery disease who refused to accept revascularization. The postoperative course was uneventful. DISCUSSION: There is limited experience of pericardiectomy in patients with constrictive pericarditis and coronary artery disease, especially in those who want to perform only pericardiectomy and refuse to accept revascularization. There has only been one case report of a patient who had constrictive pericarditis and coronary artery disease, and hemodynamic instability postoperatively who did not have revascularization performed. Cardiopulmonary bypass facilitates dissecting grossly thickened pericardium off the heart and coronary artery exposure, but is associated with higher mortality and reoperation rates, renal failure, and atrial fibrillation. In our patient, cutting grossly thickened pericardium to expose the coronary artery under cardiopulmonary bypass was unnecessary because he refused to accept revascularization. Therefore, we performed only pericardiectomy under the support of IABP to avoid hemodynamic instability. CONCLUSION: Performing only pericardiectomy under the support of IABP for a patient with constrictive pericarditis and multivessel coronary artery disease is safe and effective as long as the left ventricular ejection fraction is normal.