Fig. 1.

Changes in RV tissue Doppler S′, E′ and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) in the seven surgical procedure groups (110 patients) 1 week before and 1 month after surgery. The top four surgical groups involved full pericardial opening. The bottom three surgical groups required only a small pericardial incision or mediastinal surgery where the pericardium was left intact. The large reduction in RV post operative velocities and excursions was only seen in those surgical procedures where the pericardium was fully opened.