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Constrictive pericarditis is a pathologic condition that may lead to significant morbidity. Definitive management of constrictive pericarditis requires pericardiectomy. A retrospective review of pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis at the Ochsner Clinic was undertaken. Twenty-one patients (17 male, four female) underwent pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis between January 1969 and June 1994. Ages ranged from 15 to 66 years (mean 41.5 years). Pedal edema, dyspnea, fatigue, and chest pain were the most common symptoms. Fifteen patients had important comorbidities. Preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) class was I (2), II (8), III (6), IV (5). Mean preoperative catheterization data, available in 17 patients (81%), demonstrated elevated intracardiac pressures (right atrial 17.4 mm Hg, right ventricular end-diastolic 22.4 mm Hg, pulmonary artery 26.2 mm Hg, pulmonary capillary wedge 20.2 mm Hg, left ventricular end-diastolic 20.1 mm Hg). A total pericardiectomy was performed in nine patients (sternotomy 8, thoracotomy 1). Pericardiectomy limited anteriorly to the phrenic nerves was performed in 11 patients (sternotomy 9, thoracotomy 2). One partial pericardiectomy was performed through a sternotomy. Cardiopulmonary bypass was used in six patients (29%). Mean hospital stay was 12 days (preoperative 4.2, postoperative 7.67). All patients achieved NYHA Class I postoperatively. Sixteen patients were discharged in sinus rhythm. No early mortality (<30 days), or major postoperative complications were observed. Pericardiectomy for pericardial constriction can be performed safely low morbidity and mortality and can favorably impact the natural history of this debilitating condition.

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Pulmonary torsion is an uncommon event and may occur spontaneously or after trauma or surgery. It may involve the entire lung or individual lobes. Early recognition with prompt intervention is required to prevent hemorrhagic infarction or gangrene and salvage parenchyma. Surgical options of detorsion or resection are dependent upon tissue viability. A case of spontaneous torsion of the entire right lung is presented that reflects the first successful nonresectional management of this entity to be reported. Guidelines for appropriate management are discussed based on an understanding of the etiology, pathophysiology, and natural history.

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Chylothorax is unusual as a postoperative complication following pneumonectomy. Although rare today, it can still manifest life-threatening consequences if not recognized and treated in a timely and appropriate manner. Management options range from a conservative approach to immediate re-exploration, each of which has been reported as successful. However, treatment of this entity has been characterized as ill-defined or controversial despite the fact that most approaches to this clinical problem are similar. A successful outcome of this unusual complication is presented based on early recognition and institution of logical principles of conservative management. Treatment should be neither ill-defined nor controversial.

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There were 425 consecutive patients treated for Hodgkin's disease at this Medical Center from 1943 to 1983. Of these, 255 patients underwent a staging laparotomy and had complete preoperative clinical records. Overall, 35% had a change in stage (24% were upstaged, 11% downstaged). Twenty-nine per cent of clinical stage I patients were upstaged; 31% of stage II patients were upstaged, while less than 1% were downstaged; and four per cent of stage III patients were upstaged while 44% were downstaged. The diagnostic laparotomy yielded involvement in the spleen in 71% of patients with abdominal involvement, in the periaortic lymph nodes in 41%, in the liver in 11%, and the bone marrow in seven per cent. Only 12% of the 135 patients with negative laparotomies subsequently relapsed in the abdomen after a mean follow-up of 4.8 years. A multifactorial analysis was performed to identify dominant factors predicting the risk for abdominal disease. The factors best predicting abdominal involvement in stage I and II patients were: antecedent symptoms (greater than or equal to 2, 1, 0; p less than 0.00001), histological type [nodular sclerosing (NS) less than lymphocyte-predominant (LP) less than mixed cellularity (MC) less than lymphocyte-depleted (LD); p = 0.0009], and sex (females less than males, p = 0.01). The clinical stage (I vs. II), the site of lymphoma presentation, and the age and race of the patient did not have significant predictive value for the risk of abdominal disease after the other factors were accounted for. A mathematical model was derived for identifying dominant prognostic factors for predicting the risk of abdominal disease in an individual patient setting. The lowest risk patients were asymptomatic females with NS histology (6%) or LP histology (8%), while the highest risk patients were men with multiple symptoms and either MC histology (85%) or LD histology (93%). This information can be useful in making clinical decisions in Hodgkin's lymphoma patients, especially those at an increased risk for surgery.

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