Pulsatile hepatomegaly in constrictive pericarditis

In a study of 30 consecutive patients with constrictive pericarditis diagnosed by clinical, radiological, and echocardiographic criteria 21 (70%) were found to have pulsatile hepatomegaly. The pulsations were felt clinically and confirmed by external hepatic recordings. These pulsations conformed almost identically to the jugular venous pulsations in the neck. The hepatic pulsations disappeared after successful pericardiectomy. Persistence of the hepatic pulsations was associated with poor postoperative relief suggesting that it is another useful sign in the assessment of the adequacy of pericardiectomy. Thus this poorly appreciated clinical finding appears to be present in a high proportion of patients with constrictive pericarditis.