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Staphylococcus aureus pericardial abscess presenting as a localized bulge of the heart contour

Niels W C J van de Donk1, Ronald C A Meijer, Yves G C J America

  • 1Department of Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. n.w.c.j.vandedonk@umcutrecht.nl

Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
|February 23, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Purulent pericarditis, a serious infection, can rarely manifest as a localized pericardial abscess. This case highlights Staphylococcus aureus causing a pericardial abscess, successfully treated with surgical drainage.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Purulent pericarditis typically presents as diffuse inflammation of the pericardium.
  • Localized pericardial effusions are rare presentations of purulent pericarditis.

Observation:

  • A patient presented with a localized pericardial abscess caused by Staphylococcus aureus.
  • The abscess appeared as a localized bulge on chest X-ray, mimicking other cardiac contour abnormalities.

Findings:

  • Surgical drainage of the pericardial abscess led to a complete recovery.
  • This represents the first documented case of a pericardial abscess presenting as a localized bulge on chest X-ray.

Implications:

  • This case expands the spectrum of purulent pericarditis presentations.
  • Highlights the importance of considering localized pericardial abscess in the differential diagnosis of cardiac masses or bulges on imaging.

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