Atypical Chest X-Ray Calcification in an Idiopathic Constrictive Pericarditis Case

• Published in: Case reports in cardiology Vol. 2013; no. 2013; pp. 1 - 4
• Main Authors: Kılıçkesmez, Kadriye, Bostan, Cem, Sinan, Ümit Yaşar, Canbolat, İsmail Polat, Coşkun, Uğur, Yıldız, Ahmet, Başkurt, Murat, Turhan Çağlar, Fatma Nihan, Hatemi, Alican, Yıldız, Cenk Eray, Cöhcen, Sadettin, Gürmen, Aziz Tevfik, Küçükoğlu, Mehmet Serdar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Puplishing Corporation 01.01.2013; Hindawi Publishing Corporation; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Case Report
• ISSN: 2090-6404; 2090-6412
• DOI: 10.1155/2013/609610

Constrictive pericarditis is an uncommon cause of heart failure. It is a clinical entity caused by thickening, fibrosis, and/or calcification of the pericardium. We present a 50-year-old female patient who was admitted to our institution with a 6-month history of progressive dyspnea on exertion, abdominal swelling, and lower extremity edema. Her chest X-ray revealed an oblique linear calcification in the cardiac silhouette. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed biatrial enlargement. Left ventricular size and systolic function were normal. Cardiac computed tomography revealed the pericardial thickening (>5 mm) and heavy calcification in left atrioventricular groove. Simultaneous right and left heart catheterization showed elevation and equalization of right-sided and left-sided diastolic filling pressures, with characteristic dip, and plateau. Pericardiectomy was performed which revealed a thick, fibrous, calcified, and densely adherent pericardium constricting the heart. The postoperative period was uneventful and was in NYHA functional class I after 3 months.