Pericardial hernias in adults: a systematic review of the literature

OBJECTIVES A pericardial hernia is defined as the protrusion of abdominal viscera through the central tendon of the diaphragm into the pericardial sac. It is a rare clinical entity whose symptoms vary considerably. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical manifestations of and the optimal surgical treatments for pericardial hernias. METHODS PubMed and the Cochrane bibliographical databases were searched (last search: 20 April 2019) for studies on pericardial diaphragmatic hernias in the adult population. RESULTS Eighty studies met our inclusion criteria and reported on 85 patients (62 men and 23 women) with a mean age of 55.86 ± 15.79 years (mean ± standard deviation) presenting with a pericardial hernia at health care facilities. The leading aetiology was trauma (56.5%) followed by iatrogenic interventions (30.6%). The most common herniated organs were the transverse colon (49.4%) and the greater omentum (48.2%). Seventy-one patients (83.5%) underwent an open surgical repair, whereas 14 (16.5%) had a laparoscopic approach. Mesh or a patch was applied in 41.9% of cases. A postoperative morbidity rate of 16.9% was recorded, whereas the mortality rate reached 2.4%. CONCLUSIONS Pericardial hernia is a rare disease characterized by abdominal organs herniating into the pericardium. It requires a high degree of suspicion for early diagnosis, and all medical professionals should be encouraged to report such cases to clarify the best available therapeutic approach.