Purulent pneumopericarditis due to ulcer of the retrosternal stomach roll after esophagectomy.

A 57-year-old man, who had undergone subtotal esophagectomy and bowel reconstruction with a stomach roll located in the retrosternal space 4 years before, developed pneumopericardium (Fig. 1) due to ulcer perforation (Fig. 2). He is alive and well 8 years after partial gastrectomy and pericardial drainage followed by pericardiectomy for secondary constrictive pericarditis. European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery 22 (2002) 1007