Emergency pericardiotomy as primary diagnostic and therapeutic procedure in malignant pericardial tamponade: report of three cases and review of the literature.

Three cases are presented in which pericardial tamponade was the first indication of malignant disorder. The diagnosis and therapy of malignant cardiac tamponade was revealed by emergency pericardiotomy. In all cases the tumor was an adenomatous carcinoma and the site of primary tumor was unknown until death. The median survival time after onset of symptoms was 4 months. The primary site was the lungs in two and remained unknown autopsy in one case.