Constrictive pericarditis presenting as unexplained dyspnea with recurrent pleural effusion.

There are myriad causes of unexplained dyspnea and pleural effusion. When a patient presents with these symptoms, an underlying pulmonary pathology is the commonly suggested etiology. We present a patient with unexplained dyspnea and recurrent right-side pleural effusion who was evaluated with thorough physical examination and definitive imaging modalities, including right and left heart catheterization. The diagnosis was constrictive pericarditis. It is important to consider cardiac diseases, including constrictive pericarditis, in addition to underlying lung pathology, in patients with unexplained dyspnea and recurrent pleural effusion.