What is a pericardial cyst and how is it treated?

Recently the Dr. discovered a mass in my 25 year old husband's chest. It was found by accident during a pre-op work up for minor sinus surgery. A cat scan revealed that is is a cystic (fluid filled) mass near the middle of his chest. They do not believe it's cancer at this time, but cannot rule it out either and have mentioned a possible pericardial cyst. I know that it means a cyst in the sac around the heart, but not much else. Also, they said that pericardial cyst that are congenital are often harmless, however my husband had a chest xray last year and it was clear, so they believe the cyst might be 'acquired' and that this means a highler likely hood of something serious. Any information would be great!

What is a pericardial cyst and how is it treated?
The heart is surrounded by two continuous layers of fibrous tissue called the pericardium. A pericardial cyst is a fluid-filled mass within the outer layer of the pericardium.





Pericardial cysts are benign (non-malignant). As in your husband's case, most of them are discovered incidentally (while looking for something else) on chest X-ray or other imaging of the chest area. Most are entirely symptomless, but in around a third of cases, the patient can develop symptoms - typically, chest pain, shortness of breath or coughing.





The diagnosis is usually confirmed with a CT scan (with contrast) of the region. Treatment options include observation (with serial followups), drainage via the skin, or surgical excision. Which route is followed will depend on the cyst itself and on the patient's general state of health.





There are obviously other options for a fluid-filled collection in this region, but most of the confusion can be cleared up with good imaging (e.g. the CT scan above). If I were you, I'd try to wait for further imaging results to come back, and not worry too much (much easier said than done, I know!).





Hope this helps. If you want a more detailed version, I've found this case study on the net: http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalr...

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