Abstract
Aims
Transient constrictive pericarditis (TCP) is a rare manifestation which can occur in up to 15% of cases of acute pericarditis and most have resolution after 3 months of anti-inflammatory therapy.
Methods and results
We present the case of a young guy who showed up at our emergency department complaining of pericarditic chest pain and fever up to 39 °C degrees since the previous 4 days. After physical examination, electrocardiogram, blood tests, chest X-ray, and echocardiography acute pericarditis with severe pericardial effusion (more than 20 mm of thickness) were diagnosed and an empiric anti-inflammatory therapy with ibuprofen and colchicine was started. After 2 weeks of therapy, patient was not clinically improving with a worsened pericardial effusion and only a mild reduction of inflammatory markers. During an echocardiographic examination, features of constrictive physiology were discovered: respirophasic interventricular septal shift, increased respiratory variation of the mitral and tricuspidal inflow, plethoric inferior vena cava, and ‘annulus reversus’ and ‘annulus paradoxus’ on Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) was also performed to confirm the diagnosis of acute pericardial constriction: it revealed increased T2-weighted imaging signal and increased Delayed Gadolinium Enhanced (DGE) signal, respectively consistent with oedema and with neovascularization, both suggestive of acute pericardial inflammation. Therefore, oral low doses corticosteroid was started After 2 weeks course of ‘triple therapy’ the patient was clinically improved and the echocardiographic features of constrictive physiology were no longer present thus allowing his discharge and the continuation of therapy at home.
Conclusions
This case was remarkable because it showed that constrictive pericarditis may present in a reversible form with medical therapy, this meaning it is due to pericardial oedema, inflammation and fibrin deposition similar to acute pericarditis rather than the pericardial fibrosis and calcification more commonly seen in chronic pericardial constriction.
Anti-inflammatory properties of amniotic membrane patch following pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis
