RESEARCH ARTICLE Differential Impact of Constrictive Physiology after Pericardiocentesis in Malignancy Patients with

Background Echocardiographic signs of constrictive physiology (CP) after pericardiocentesis are fre-quently observed in malignancy patients. The purpose of the current study was to explore whether features of CP after pericardiocentesis have prognostic impact in malignancy patients with pericardial effusion (PE). Methods We retrospectively reviewed 467 consecutive patients who underwent pericardiocentesis at our institution from January 2006 to May 2014. Among them, 205 patients with advanced malignancy who underwent comprehensive echocardiography after the procedure com-prised the study population. Co-primary end points were all-cause mortality (ACM) and repeated drainage (RD) for PE. Patients were divided into four subgroups according to cyto-logic result for malignant cells and CP (positive cytology with negative CP, both positive, both negative, and negative cytology with positive CP). Result