ABSTRACT
We reviewed 49 cases of moderate or severe pericardial effusion on which we performed pericardiocentesis and percutaneous pericardial biopsy from Jan. 1987 to Sep. 1989. Of these, 11 cases were performed percutaneous pericardial biopsy in order to diagnose confirmative. We studied clinical manifestation including physical examination, ECG, and radiology, etiology and complication of pericardiocentesis and percutaneous pericardial biopsy. The results are as belows : 1) The physical examination of pericardial effusion were neck vein engorgement(73.5%), priction rub(25.5%), and pulsus paradoxus(4%). The ECG findings were low voltage(77.6%) and electrical alternans(16.5%), and most common x-ray finding was cardiomegaly (81.6%). 2) Underlying diseases were as follows : neoplastic disease(40.8%), tuberculosis(18.4%) systemic lupus erythematosus(10.2%), hemopericardium(8.2%), chronic renal failure(6.1%), congestive heart failure(4.1%), idiopathic pericarditis(4.1%), GVHD(2.0%), pyopericardium(2.0%), rheumatic carditis(2.0%), and postpericardiotomy syndrome(2.0%), in order. 3) Special etiologic diagnosis of neoplasm were lung cancer(50%), adenocarcinoma of unknown origin(20%), Malignant lymphoma(15%), stomach cancer(5%), hepatoma(5%), and malignant thymoma(5%), in order. From the percutaneous pericardial biopsy, the authors confirmed 36% by finding two cases of malignancy and two cases of tuberculosis. On the other hand, only one case was confirmed in cytology. These result in a rather low rate of diagnostic confirm. There were 8 cases of complication : hypotension(8.2%), premature ventricular contraction(6.1%) and ventricular tachycardia (2.0%) without death cases. In percutaneous pericardial biopsy, only two cases of hypotension were found with no death case. The result obtained from the above 11 cases of percutanous pericardial biopsy is not enough to make conclusive statement concerning rate of diagnostic confirmation and complication. We expect better results by examining more cases in the future.