The surgical removal of the epicardium, usually performed in constrictive pericarditis to permit greater diastolic filling of the heart.

The epicardium is the inner layer of the pericardium, a conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels.

The pericardium has outer and inner coats. The outer coat is tough and thickened, loosely cloaks the heart, and is attached to the central part of the diaphragm and the back of the sternum (breastbone).

The inner coat is double with one layer closely adherent to the heart while the other one lines the inner surface of the outer coat with the intervening space being filled with fluid.

This small amount of fluid, called the pericardial fluid, acts as a lubricant to allow normal heart movement within the chest.