Incessant pericarditis is an uncommonly encountered clinical problem that can be extremely difficult to manage. We present a case of incessant pericarditis with multiple recurrences during tapering of systemic corticosteroids. We injected intrapericardial triamcinolone, using a technique originally developed to access the epicardium for catheter ablation. This approach resulted in immediate success, followed by long-term resolution of the patient's pericarditis. This novel technique may be of benefit in this small group of patients and may represent a safer alternative to pericardiectomy for those resistant to oral corticosteroid tapering.
Copyright © 2013 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.