Monitoring of impending myocardial damage after pleuropneumonectomy and intraoperative photodynamic therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma using biochemical markers

In five patients who were treated for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) with pleuropneumonectomy and intraoperative photodynamic therapy (IPDT), im pending myocardial damage was monitored using EGG, the classical biochemica l markers (creatine kinase [CK], total activity; CKMB, mass; and myoglobin) , and the new cardiac markers troponin I (cTnI) and troponin T (cTnT). In t he peroperative and postoperative period all classical markers were elevate d, in contrast to cTnI and cTnT, because of the concomitant skeletal muscle damage. Sequential electrocardiogram monitoring showed no signs of myocard ial damage. From this study in patients with MPM treated with pleuropneumon ectomy and IPDT it can be concluded that measurement of cTnI and cTnT for t he detection of myocardial damage is more suitable than measurement of the classical markers.