Cardiac disease late after chest radiotherapy for Hodgkin's disease - A case report

This report presents a case of occult constrictive pericarditis and mitral valve insufficiency following chest radiotherapy. A 44-year-old man had rec eived radiotherapy for the treatment of Hodgkin's disease 8 years ago. At a ge 40 years, effusive pericarditis occurred and he was treated with intrape ricardial drainage. Biopsy revealed a fibrotic and thickened pericardium. H e developed congestive heart failure 3 years later. The patient was found t o have occult constrictive pericarditis and mitral valve insufficiency. He underwent mitral valve replacement, tricuspid annul plasty, and pericardiec tomy. Although there is the benefit of cure for the Hodgkin's disease, the prognosis after treatment is affected by radiotherapy-induced heart disease . After radiotherapy of the chest and mediastinum, long-term cardiological follow-up is recommended in order to detecting patients with radiation-indu ced heart disease, such as the present case.