Pericardiocentesis and intrapericardial sclerosis: effective therapy for malignant pericardial effusions.

BACKGROUND: Pericardial effusions remain a formidable problem in patients with an advanced malignancy. We reviewed our experience with pericardiocentesis and intrapericardial sclerotherapy versus open surgical drainage as the treatment for these effusions.
METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of one surgeon's experience (M.E.B.) with the surgical treatment of malignant pericardial effusions at a tertiary-care cancer center.
RESULTS: Sixty patients underwent 72 procedures during 8 years. Thirty-seven (51%) pericardiocenteses and 35 (49%) open procedures were performed in patients with effusions. There was no significant difference in the complication rates seen between those effusions drained via pericardiocentesis (n = 5; 13%) and those drained in an open surgical procedure (n = 5; 14%). Similar results were seen with respect to the development of a recurrent effusion. There were no procedure-related deaths. The median survival for all patients was 97 days. Patients with breast cancer as their primary malignancy survived significantly longer after drainage than did all others (p = 0.01). The type of procedure did not influence survival. Costs of surgical drainage exceed those of pericardiocentesis by nearly fortyfold.
CONCLUSIONS: Pericardiocentesis with intrapericardial sclerotherapy is as effective as open surgical drainage for the management of malignant pericardial effusions.