The exudative-constrictive tuberculosis pericarditis diagnosed by toracoscopic biopsy.

PURPOSE: To present the problems and possibilities of diagnostic and treatment in a patient with resistant exudative-constrictive pericarditis. METHODS: The male patient 31 y. was admitted to the clinic due to exudative pericarditis and arthritis of the left knee joint. His medical history periodic febrile fever with a cough, episodes of syncope and atrial fibrillation, treatment with antibiotics and corticosteroids with a temporary effect. RESULTS: No data were received for systemic disease, hypothyroidism, tumors. With CT in both lungs, small areas of fibrosis and lymphadenopathy were identified. Pericardial sheets diffusely thickened. EchoCG shows one liter of pericardial fluid with fibrin. All tests for viruses and tuberculosis are negative. Thoracoscopy was performed. Morphological examination showed tuberculosis granulomas with caseous necrosis. The growth of mycobacteria of tuberculosis from sputum was obtained. Therapy included pyrazinamide, ethambutol, levofloxacin, prednisolone 20 mg / day. Ponce's disease regressed. Due to the increase of constriction, subtotal pericardectomy was performed. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis is one of the real causes of pericarditis with massive effusion and an outcome in constriction. The negative results of all laboratory tests for tuberculosis do not exclude the diagnosis. It is necessary to use invasive morphological diagnosis, including thoracoscopic biopsy.

[Pericarditis in contemporary therapeutic clinic: nosological spectrum, approaches to diagnosis and treatment].

AIM: To analyze the register of pericarditis in a therapeutic clinic, to evaluate their nosological spectrum, to optimize approaches to diagnosis and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the period 20072018, the register includes 76 patients with the diagnosis of pericarditis (average age 53.115.7 years, 2085 years, 46 female). Patients with hydropericardium were not included in the register. Diagnostic puncture of pericardium was carried out in 5 patients, pleural puncture in 11 patients. Morphological diagnostics included endomyocardial/ intraoperative biopsy of myocardium (n=4/2), thoracoscopic/intraoperative biopsy of pericardium (n=1/6), pleural puncture (n=5), transbronchial (n=1), thoracoscopic biopsy of intrathoracic lymph nodes (n=2), lung (n=1), supraclavicular lymph node biopsy (n=1), salivary gland (n=1), subcutaneous fat and rectum biopsy per amyloid (n=6/1). The genome of cardiotropic viruses, level of anti-heart antibodies, C-reactive protein, antinuclear factor, rheumatoid factor (antibodies to cyclic citrullinized peptide), antibodies to neutrophil cytoplasm were determined, extractable nuclear antigens (ENA), protein immunoelectrophoresis, diaskin test, computed tomography of lungs and heart, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, oncologic search. RESULTS: The following forms of pericarditis were verified: tuberculosis (14%, including in combination with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy HCM), acute / chronic viral (8%) and infectious immune (38%), including perimyocarditis in 77%, pericarditis associated with mediastinum lymphoma/sarcoma (4%), sarcoidosis (3%), diffuse diseases of connective tissue and vasculitis (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, diseases of Horton, Takayasu, Shegren, Wegener, 12%), leukoclastic vasculitis, Loefflers endomyocarditis, AL-amyloidosis, thrombotic microangiopathy (1% each), HCM (8%), coronary heart disease (constriction after repeated punctures and suppuration; postinfection and immune, 4%), after radiofrequency catheter ablation and valve prosthetics (2%). Tuberculosis was the main causes of constrictive pericarditis (36%). Treatment included steroids (n=39), also in combination with cytostatics (n=12), anti-tuberculosis drugs (n=9), acyclovir/ganclovir (n=14), hydroxychloroquine (n=23), colchicine (n=13), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n=21), L-tyroxine (n=5), chemotherapy (n=1). In 36 patients different types of therapy were combined. Treatment results observed in 55 patients. Excellent and stable results were achieved in 82% of them. Pericardiectomy/pericardial resection was successfully performed in 8 patients. Lethality was 13.2% (10 patients) with an average follow-up 9 [2; 29.5] months (up to 10 years). Causes of death were chronic heart failure, surgery for HCM, pulmonary embolism, tumor. CONCLUSION: During a special examination, the nature of pericarditis was established in 97% of patients. Morphological and cytological diagnostics methods play the leading role. Tuberculosis pericarditis, infectious-immune and pericarditis in systemic diseases prevailed. Infectious immune pericarditis is characterized by small and medium exudate without restriction and accompanying myocarditis. Steroids remain the first line of therapy in most cases. Hydroxychloroquine as well as colchicine can be successfully used in moderate / low activity of immune pericarditis and as a long-term maintenance therapy after steroid stop.

Exudative-constrictive tuberculous pericarditis in combination with arthritis in cardiologist practice: thoracoscopic biopsy as a diagnosis and treatment method.

AIM: The goal is to present the possibilities of diagnosis verification, the features of the clinical picture of tuberculous pericarditis in the therapeutic clinic and the results of its treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The paper presents clinical observation and a general analysis of 10 cases of tuberculous pericarditis in patients aged 31-79 (mean age 58.0 ± 15.1 years), 6 women and 4 men. Diagnostic puncture pericardium was performed on two patients, pleural puncture - on three Thoracoscopic biopsy of hilar lymph nodes and lung (n=1), pleura (n=1), supraclavicular lymph node biopsy (n=1). Dyskin test was carried out, as well as sputum examination, multispiral computed tomography, oncological search. RESULTS: A 31-year-old patient with a massive effusion in the pericardial cavity, pleural lesion, arthritis of the left knee joint, whose results of the pericardial effusion and sputum were not diagnosed, tuberculosis was detected only with thoracoscopic biopsy of the lung and intrathoracic lymph nodes; the treatment via prednisolone and subtotal pericardectomy was performed. Among 10 patients with MSCT of the lung, changes were noted in general, but in only one case they were highly specific. Diaskin test is positive in 70%. In the study of punctata, bronchoalveolar flushing, Koch bacteria were not detected; at sputum in microscopy and biological sample BC was detected in two patients. The lymphocytic character of effusion in the pericardium / pleura is noted in 4 out of 5 cases. At a biopsy of lymphonoduses and a lung at 2 patients the picture of a granulomatous inflammation with a caseous necrosis. Pericarditis was predominantly large (from 2 cm and more) effusion, signs of constriction were noted in 50% of patients. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis is one of the frequent causes of pericarditis in the Moscow therapeutic clinic. The most lymphocytic effusion with fibrin and the development of constriction. The negative results of all laboratory tests for tuberculosis do not exclude a diagnosis, It is necessary to use invasive morphological diagnostics, including thoracoscopic biopsy.