Epipericardial Fat Necrosis. An Important Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain

Epipericardial fat necrosis: an unusual cause of chest pain

Epipericardial fat necrosis is a rare, benign, and self-limited cause of acute chest pain, with only 35 cases reported in the literature.(1,2) It presents as new-onset pleuritic chest pain in otherwise healthy patients, and, therefore, it is an important differential diagnosis for acute chest pain in this group of individuals. The pathophysiology has been labeled as idiopathic or related to an ...

Epipericardial fat necrosis.

Epipericardial fat necrosis.

A 57-year-old man with no cardiovascular risk factors or other disease history of interest developed acute chest pain without clear signs of angina. He came to the emergency department, where the results of the electrocardiogram and an initial test for markers of myocardial injury were normal. We performed cardiac computed tomography, which ruled out the existence of coronary artery lesions. Ho...

Epicardial fat necrosis: an uncommon etiology of chest pain.

Epicardial fat necrosis (EFN) is a rare cause of severe chest pain. We present a case of EFN successfully treated conservatively. With the advent of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, the diagnosis can be made more precisely, avoiding the need for surgical intervention. We review the clinical characteristics, pathogenesis and treatment options of EFN.

Epipericardial fat necrosis – a rare cause of pleuritic chest pain: case report and review of the literature

Epipericardial fat necrosis (EPFN) is an uncommon cause of chest pain. Typically manifesting as severe acute chest pain, EPFN can be mistaken for a serious disorder, such as pulmonary embolism or myocardial infarction. We report a case of EPFN, diagnosed tentatively based on clinical and radiographic findings, with documented resolution of the lesion on chest CT. According to our literature sea...