The waffle procedure as treatment of a first episode of right heart failure: a case report.

Abstract

Constrictive pericarditis is a rare condition which is characterized by pericardial layers thickening and it may not be relieved by conventional medical or surgical therapies. Some patients could profit from specific surgical techniques such as the waffle procedure which removes epicardial tissue strips of the visceral layer of the pericardium. It alleviates diastolic dysfunction, since it is known that the constrictive physiology observed in constrictive pericarditis depends mainly on the visceral layer.