Constrictive pericarditis in a young patient with very thick pericardium initially diagnosed as cirrhosis. (December 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Durmus, Erdal; Sunbul, Murat; Kivrak, Tarik; Sari, Ibrahim; Mutlu, Bulent
• Is Part Of: Therapeutic advances in cardiovascular disease. Volume 7:Number 6(2013)
• Page Start: 343
• Page End: 345
• Publication Date: 2013-12
• Subjects: cirrhosis -- constrictive pericarditis -- thick; Cardiovascular system -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular system -- Diseases -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular pharmacology -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular Diseases -- diagnosis -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular Diseases -- therapy -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular Agents -- therapeutic use -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular Diseases -- drug therapy -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular System -- drug effects -- Periodicals; Cardiologie; Hart- en vaatziekten; Appareil cardiovasculaire -- Maladies -- Périodiques; Appareil cardiovasculaire -- Maladies -- Traitement -- Périodiques; Pharmacologie cardiovasculaire -- Périodiques; 616.10605
• DOI: 10.1177/1753944713513220
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1753-9447

Abstract

Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a disease of pericardium that restricts filling of the heart. Patients with CP generally present to hospitals with exercise-induced dyspnea, pretibial edema and abdominal ascites, and it is sometimes mistakenly diagnosed as liver or renal disease. Pericardial thickening, which is defined as more than 4 mm in diameter, is observed in nearly 80% of patients. In the present paper, we describe a case of CP with a pericardial thickness of 12 mm that was initially diagnosed as cirrhosis.