"Acute" granulomatous pericarditis. clinical and hemodynamic correlate

Ten cases of acute constrictive pericarditis from southern Iran are presented. They differed from chronic constrictive pericarditis by the absence of ascutes and edema of the lower extremities, the presence of cardiomegaly on posteroanterior chest x-ray film, the lack of calcification of the pericardium on fluoroscopic examination, and the presence of sinus rhythm in all cases. If tuberculosis is the etiologic agent, early pericardiectomy should be considered. This is especially important in areas where close follow-up of patients is difficult or impossible, since all patients in this series ultimately developed clinically significant constriction.