We report our experience in the application of a Denver shunt as surgical treatment for intractable pericardial effusion. The patient was a 60-year-old woman who suffered from pericarditis accompanied by intractable pericardial effusion as complications of systemic lupus erythematosus. Pericardial fenestration with thoracoscopic assistance and a right pleuroperitoneal shunt using a Denver shunt were performed as surgical treatment. Postoperatively, the patient’s heart failure symptoms disappeared and her pericardial effusion was considerably reduced. The postoperative course was uneventful without recurrence after a 2-year follow-up period.
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