A case of congenital pericardial defect found at operationfor primary lung cancer

Abstract

A 70-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for further examination of a mass shadow in the left upper lung field noted on chest X-ray film. We diagnosed it as a primary squamous cell carcinoma of the lung by transbronchial lung biopsy, and then a surgical procedure was performed. At thoracotomy, the right ventricle, the left atrial appendage, and the root of the pulmonary artery and vein were recognized through a complete pericardial defect. The operation was finished without compensating for the defect because the residual lung did not adhere to the thoracic wall or was fully re-expanded enough to support the heart. Chest X-ray films after operation showed that the heart had shifted farther toward the left side compared with that before operation. Seven years after the operation, the patient is still alive without any sign of recurrence.