[Acute pericarditis in the modern era: a diagnostic challenge]

Diagnosis of acute pericarditis remains difficult in clinical practice.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and biological features of patients presenting with acute pericarditis, and to determine the incidence and significance of troponin I (cTnI) elevation in that context.

We retrospectively included 55 patients with acute idiopathic pericarditis. We analyzed clinical presentation, ECG recordings, biologic results, echocardiography findings and cTnI level.

Fifty-five consecutive patients (41 men, 54+/-18 years) with idiopathic acute pericarditis were included. There was a typical chest pain in 90% of cases, whereas fever and pericardial friction rub were present in 25 and 18%, respectively. ST-segment elevation was observed in 58% of the patients. A rise of cTnI and C-reactive protein was detectable in 27 and 78% of cases respectively. The following characteristics were more frequently associated with a positive cTnI test: younger patients, recent infection and higher length-of-stay. Pericardial effusion was observed in 58% of patients. Cardiac tamponade and ventricular tachycardia both occurred in 3 patients (5%). After a mean follow-up of 33 months, recurrent pericarditis occurred in 13% of patients. A similar rate of complications was found in patients with a positive or a negative cTnI.

Clinical spectra of acute pericarditis have changed and some classic assumptions and descriptions, perpetuated in some publications, are outdated. Clinical presentation implies a 45-55 year-old man, with a chest pain and ST-segment elevation, without fever or pericardial friction rub, and a positive cTnI test in 27% of cases. Therefore, misinterpretation as other disease, especially acute myocardial infarction, is common and diagnosis of acute pericarditis remains often retrospective. In our series, a cTnI rise did not appear as a negative prognostic marker.