Traumatic hemopericardium and chronic constrictive pericarditis.

Chronic constrictive pericarditis following traumatic hemopericardium has been reported in recent years, but it has not been reproduced experimentally in dogs. The present study attempted to produce posttraumatic constrictive pericarditis in 34 experimental animals. Hemopericardium by means of trauma to the epicardium or pericardium was produced by a sharp instrument or by the injection of autologous blood inside the pericardial sac. All animals were killed at intervals between 3 and 31 months. The animals in which hemopericardium was induced by injecting blood into the pericardial cavity showed no changes. The hemopericardium was completely resolved without noticeable residual trace. Animals having hemopericardium as a result of trauma evidenced a well-developed constrictive pericarditis that was documented clinically, hemodynamically, and histologically. These experimental findings indicate that chronic constrictive pericarditis may well be due to traumatic hemopericardium rather than to specific infection.