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Morphologic aspects of pericardial heart disease: Part II
B F Waller1, C P Taliercio, J Howard
1Cardiovascular Pathology Registry, St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Insights
Pericardial heart disease is frequently found incidentally at necropsy, often showing fibrin deposits or adhesions without prior clinical signs. This review explores the pericardium
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Pathology
- Pericardial Diseases
- Morphology
Background:
- Pericardial heart disease is a common necropsy finding.
- Fibrin deposits and adhesions are often observed without prior clinical evidence.
- Many cases are incidental, with some linked to silent myocardial infarction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the diverse morphologic responses of the pericardium.
- To establish an etiologic framework for these pericardial responses.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of pericardial pathology.
- Analysis of morphologic findings in necropsy studies.
Main Results:
- Common incidental findings include focal fibrin deposits and pericardial adhesions.
- These findings can be associated with clinically silent myocardial infarction.
- The majority of observed pericardial changes are idiopathic.
Conclusions:
- The pericardium exhibits various morphologic responses to disease and injury.
- Understanding these responses is crucial for interpreting necropsy findings.
- Further review will detail specific morphologic changes related to diseases.
Abstract:
Pericardial heart disease is a common entity at necropsy. Frequently, focal areas of fibrin deposits or parietal-visceral pericardial adhesion are observed at necropsy without previous clinical evidence of pericardial dysfunction. Some of these instances are related to clinically silent acute or healed myocardial infarction but the vast majority of cases are incidental (idiopathic) findings. The purpose of this review is to summarize various morphologic responses of the pericardium and to provide an etiologic framework for these responses. Part II will review specific morphologic responses of pericardial layers to selected diseases.