Pericarditis: complication of esophageal sclerotherapy. A report of three cases.

Three patients developed acute pericarditis while undergoing esophageal sclerotherapy for bleeding varices. One patient required pericardiocentesis and the other 2 patients had spontaneous resolution of the pericarditis. This previously unreported complication of sclerotherapy must be considered in the differential diagnosis of those patients who develop postsclerotherapy chest pain.