Constrictive pericarditis is a rare, immunologically-mediated complication of systemic lupus erythematosus that can be effectively treated with surgical pericardiectomy.
Suggests pericardiectomy may relieve refractory symptoms in SLE constrictive pericarditis; leaves open immunologic mechanisms and need for confirmatory studies.
A 17-year-old male with systemic lupus erythematosus presented with clinical signs of severe constrictive pericarditis that was confirmed by cardiac catheterization. At surgery, a fibrous pericardium was removed, followed by complete relief of symptoms. Immunopathology of the pericardial tissue revealed deposition of IgG, IgM, and C3. A review of the literature produced only three similar cases. Although rare, constrictive pericarditis, a potentially life threatening complication, may occur in systemic lupus erythematosus presumably with an immunological basis.
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Jacobson et al. (1978) studied this question.
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