Constrictive pericarditis after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is an unusual disease. Pericardiectomy is necessary when medical treatment fails to relieve the congestive symptoms. Surgery for constrictive pericarditis after CABG often jeopardizes the bypass grafts. We conducted a right anterior thoracotomy without a cardiopulmonary bypass to avoid injury to the bypass grafts, which might otherwise have occurred during sternotomy and mediastinal dissection.