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  • Title: [Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy for the treatment of a malignant pericardial tamponade].
    Author: Grumbach IM, Werner GS, Figulla HR.
    Journal: Dtsch Med Wochenschr; 1998 Jun 05; 123(23):726-9. PubMed ID: 9651570.
    Abstract:
    HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 72-year old man was admitted because of increasing dyspnoea, failing fitness and weight loss. Physical examination was unremarkable except for decreased heart sounds. INVESTIGATIONS: He was anaemic (haemoglobin 11.7 g/dl), erythrocyte sedimentation rate was raised (80/90 mm) as was C-reactive protein (169 mg/dl). Chest radiogram showed tent-like widening of the cardiac silhouette and a 6 cm space-occupying lesion in the left hilus. Echocardiography revealed pericardial effusion of up to 2.3 cm (epi- to pericardium). TREATMENT AND COURSE: Because of an increase in dyspnoea and pericardial effusion a pericardiocentesis was performed. This fluid and needle biopsy of the space-occupying lesion revealed small-cell carcinoma. 6 days after the pericardiocentesis the dyspnoea further increased as did the pericardial effusion (to 3.9 cm). Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy was uneventfully performed. During a follow-up period of 14 months there were no further pericardial effusions. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy can be undertaken as a minimally invasive treatment of symptomatic pericardial effusion. It should be considered as an alternative to surgical creation of a pericardial window, especially in very ill patients.
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