Complete Congenital Absence of the Left Pericardium in Elderly Patient: A Case Report
Sintayehu Mekonnen1,2, Hawi Farris3, Daniel Azmeraw1
1Department of Internal Medicine, All Africa Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Rehabilitation Training Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Abstract:
Congenital pericardial absence is an uncommon heart condition that is usually undiagnosed due to a lack of symptoms and awareness. In this case study, we present a 72-year-old patient who initially presented for medical evaluation due to unexplained weight loss, a displaced cardiac apex, and poor echocardiographic windows. An extracardiac tumor was suspected at first, but it was later determined that the patient had a congenital complete absence of the left pericardium. This case illustrates the possibility for benign pathology to present abnormally and details the clinical features, imaging findings, and management of congenital absence of the pericardium.
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