Pericardial tamponade complicated by interventional management for Budd-Chiari syndrome: clinical analysis and treatment

Objective: To discuss the cases and treatment of pericardial tamponade (PT) occurred in the interventional management for Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). Methods: During the period from 1990 to 2006, interventional treatment was performed in 812 patients with BCS. Pericardial tamponade occurred in nine patients during the period of interventional treatment. The clinical data, including angiographic findings, clinical symptoms, management and outcomes, of the nine patients were retrospectively analyzed. The possible causes of pericardial tamponade were discussed. Results: Of the nine patients occurring pericardial tamponade, successful treatment was obtained in eight and death occurred in one. The lesions of BCS in the nine cases included inferior vena cava obstruction type (n=7), hepatic venous obstruction type (n=1) and mixed type (n=1). Pericardial tamponade was caused by mistakenly puncturing into pericardium (n=5), mistakenly puncturing together with laceration of pericardium by balloon (n=3), and breaking of pericardium by displaced stent (n=1). Conventional pericardicentesis was employed in one case, surgery was carried out in three cases, and infra-xiphoid catheterization and drainage using Seldinger technique was performed in two cases. Conservative treatment was adopted in one case and aspiration through the wrongly inserted catheter was tried in one case. In the remaining one case, aspiration through the wrongly inserted catheter together with infra-xiphoid catheterization and drainage by using Seldinger technique was carried out. Conclusion: The pericardial tamponade is an severe complication occurred in the interventional management for Budd-Chiari syndrome, although it is rarely seen. Preoperative prevention, prompt detection and rational treatment are the keys avoid serious consequences. (authors)