Medical and surgical management of constrictive pericarditis
THE CONTEXT
Management addresses the resulting diastolic heart failure and may include resection of the diseased pericardium.
Treatment and operative considerations
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Medical treatment: Diastolic heart failure is treated with loop diuretics and aldosterone antagonists, such as spironolactone.
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Surgical benefit: Resection of the diseased pericardium can produce dramatic improvement.
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Surgical morbidity: The procedure carries high morbidity, particularly late in the disease course, because the pericardium becomes heavily bound to the myocardium.