Mitral regurgitation following pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis.

Pericardiectomy is the only definitive treatment option for patients with constrictive pericarditis. We present the case of a 67-year-old man who developed new moderate to severe mitral regurgitation following phrenic nerve-to-phrenic nerve pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis. The severity of the regurgitation was followed up by serial echocardiography which showed improvement 19 days later and complete resolution at 9 months after surgery. Potential mechanisms explaining the evolution of this mitral valve dysfunction in the setting of pericardiectomy are postulated.