Abstract
Postpericardial injury syndrome (PPIS) is defined as pericarditis or pericardial effusion that results from recent or earlier injury of the pericardium. The clinical features of this syndrome include fever, leukocytosis, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Recent studies have established a connection between this clinical presentation and an underlying autoimmune process. The role of the humoral immune response is well established regarding the pathogenesis of PPIS with elevated titers of different antibodies and immune complexes in the circulation correlating with disease activity. Nevertheless, cell-mediated response by different subgroups of T lymphocyte has a significant importance with direct infiltration of pericardial tissue and fluids. The diagnosis of PPIS is still challenging. A strong connection between specific serological immunological markers and the disease would be of great value in diagnosis and treatment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Engle MA, Zabriskie JB, Senterfit LB et al (1980) Viral illness and the postpericardiotomy syndrome. A prospective study in children. Circulation 62:1151–1158
Engle MA, Gay WA, McCabe J et al (1981) Postpericardiotomy syndrome in adults: incidence, autoimmunity and virology. Circulation 64(suppl II):58–60
Maisch B, Berg PA, Kochsiek K (1979) Clinical significance of immunopathological findings in patients with post-pericardiotomy syndrome. Clin exp Immunol 38:189–197
Shoenfeld Y, Selmi C, Zimlichman E, Gershwin ME (2008) The autoimmunologist: geoepidemiology, a new center of gravity, and prime time for autoimmunity. J Autoimmun 31:325–330
Bartels C, Honig R, Burger G et al (1994) The significance of anticardiolipin antibodies and anti-heart muscle antibodies for the diagnosis of postpericardiotomy syndrome. Eur Heart J 15:1494–1499
Cabalka AK, Rosenblatt HM, Towbin JA et al (1995) Postpericardiotomy syndrome in pediatric heart transplant recipients. Texas Heart Inst J 22:170–176
De Scheerder I, Vandekerckhove J, Robbrecht J et al (1985) Post-cardiac injury syndrome and an increased humoral immune response against the major contractile proteins (actin and myosin). Am J Cardiol 56:631–633
De Scheerder I, De Buyzere M, Robbrecht J et al (1986) Postoperative immunological response against contractile proteins after coronary bypass surgery. Br Heart J 56:440–444
Hoffman M, Fried M, Jabareen F et al (2002) Anti-heart antibodies in postpericardiotomy syndrome: cause or epiphenomenon? Autoimmunity 35:241–245
De Scheerder D, Wulfrank L, Van Renterghem L et al (1984) Association of anti-heart antibodies and circulating immune complexes in the post-pericardiotomy syndrome. Clin Exp Immunol 57:423–428
Nomura Y, Yoshinaga M, Haraguchi T et al (1994) Relationship between the degree of injury at operation and the change in antimyosin antibody titer in the postpericardiotomy syndrome. Pediatr Cardiol 15:116–120
Kim S, Sahn SA (1996) Postcardiac inury syndrome. An immunologic pleural fluid analysis. Chest 109:570–572
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Erlich, J.F., Paz, Z. Postpericardial Injury Syndrome: An Autoimmune Phenomenon. Clinic Rev Allerg Immunol 38, 156–158 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-009-8147-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-009-8147-9