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Published on: August 9, 2022
A case report of pericardial constriction with coexisting severe left main coronary artery disease
Saman Ostad Karampour1, Tara L Sedlak2, Christina L Luong2
1Division of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 1M9.
Insights
Constrictive pericarditis (CP) can present with atypical hemodynamics, especially when severe coronary artery disease (CAD) is present. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention, including pericardiectomy, are crucial for managing heart failure in these complex cases.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a rare condition causing heart failure due to pericardial fibrosis and impaired ventricular filling.
- Differentiating CP from restrictive cardiomyopathy is vital as CP is potentially curable via pericardiectomy.
- This case highlights CP with atypical hemodynamics in a patient with severe left main coronary artery disease (CAD).
Background:
Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a rare condition in which the pericardium becomes progressively fibrotic and non-compliant leading to impaired ventricular filling and overt heart failure. While CP shares many clinical and haemodynamic similarities with restrictive cardiomyopathy, differentiation of these diseases is crucial as CP is potentially curative through pericardiectomy. Here, we present a case of proven pericardial constriction with atypical haemodynamics in a patient presenting with heart failure and severe left main coronary artery disease (CAD).
Case Summary:
A 69-year-old female with a history of hypertension and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation presented with persistent heart failure refractory to diuretics. Ischaemic and infiltrative work-up were found to be negative with magnetic resonance imaging demonstrating trace pericardial fluid and thickening of the pericardium. Echocardiogram and right-heart catheterization demonstrated atypical haemodynamics suggestive of but not conclusive for CP, with coronary angiogram demonstrating severe left main CAD. Ultimately, the patient underwent coronary artery bypass grafting along with pericardiectomy and pericardial biopsy demonstrating constrictive physiology.
Discussion:
We suspect the inconclusive nature of the echocardiogram and cardiac catheterization was likely secondary to severe CAD impairing left ventricular relaxation and dampening ventricular interdependence. As such, clinicians should consider the possibility of coexistent severe CAD in patients with a clinical suspicion of CP, but inconclusive haemodynamics.
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