Metastatic tumors of the pericardium (clinical cases)
Nikolenko L.A.¹, Alyokhin D.I.², Nikolenko E.S.<sup>2

1</sup> «Federal Center of Cardiovascular Surgery», Chelyabinsk
² «South Ural State Medical University», Chelyabinsk

Pericardium is most often involved in the metastasis process, accounting for 64-69% of all cardiac metastases. Dissemination of the tumor in the pericardium can lead to pericarditis, followed by the development of serous-hemorrhagic or hemorrhagic effusion. A reliable diagnosis of pericardial fluid is provided by modern echocardiography and computed tomography (CT) of the heart. In the early stages of metastasis, it is difficult to detect cancer cells; in later stages of cancer, tumor cells can be detected in not all the patients, however, the establishment of a malignant nature of effusion prior to the appearance of its clinical signs is of great importance for the correct choice of treatment tactics. In the case of cardiac tamponade, a "therapeutic" pericardiocentesis is performed, in acute pericarditis with massive pericardial effusion and effusions of unclear etiology, a "diagnostic" pericardiocentesis is indicated. To determine the nature of the effusion, a cytological study of the evacuated fluid is necessary. In most cases, a cytologic examination of pericardial effusion without a biopsy specimen is sufficient to establish a diagnosis. The article presents two clinical cases of metastasis of various tumors in the pericardium with the development of the threat of cardiac tamponade.

Key words: metastatic lesion, pericardium, cardiac tamponade, cytological examination.
For citation: Nikolenko L.A., Alyokhin D.I., Nikolenko E.S. Metastatic tumors of the pericardium (clinical cases) // RMJ.  2017. № 14. P. 1077–1079.