Overlooked constrictive pericarditis as a cause of relapsing ascites and impairment of renal allograft function
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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Non-invasive Imaging of Acute Allograft Rejection after Rat Renal Transplantation Using 18F-FDG PET
Published on: April 28, 2013
1Department of Nephrology and Transplant Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland. maria.boratynska@op.pl
Abstract:
Herein we have presented a case of overlooked relapsing constrictive pericarditis with ascites in a renal transplant patient. The first symptoms of constriction appeared during hemodialysis. After a 2-year period of remission, they relapsed at 1 year after transplantation causing deterioration of renal function. We noted that constrictive pericarditis can be misdiagnosed due to symptoms characteristic of heart failure. The diagnosis should be evident from right heart catheterization and computed tomographic (CT) imaging of the thickness or calcification of the pericardium. Once the diagnosis was established surgical treatment allowed total recovery with improved graft function.
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