Constrictive pericarditis: Insights from cardiac computed tomography.

Constrictive pericarditis is a rare disease, usually the result of long-standing pericardial inflammation leading to pericardial scarring with thickening, fibrosis, and calcification. The most frequent causes are mediastinal radiation, chronic idiopathic pericarditis, cardiac surgery, and tuberculous pericarditis. Nearly 9% of patients with acute pericarditis for any reason go on to develop constrictive physiology. We report the case of a 52-year-old man with a history of acute pericarditis 30 years ago, with a three-year evolution of fatigue, dyspnea and palpitations. Physical examination revealed jugular venous distension and hepatomegaly and a pericardial knock was audible on cardiac auscultation. The 12-lead electrocardiogram revealed atrial flutter