Chronic Constrictive Pericarditis

C H11ONIC constrictive pericarditis, interestingly enough, was one of the very first pathologic conditions to be recognized. This is natural in view of the rather obvious gross lesion found at autopsy. Hence wlhei the custom of postmortem examinations b)egan to be established, pericarditis and its sequelae were quickly identified. Lower,8 in 1669, described the clinical effect of interference of cardiac diastole by a constricting fibrous pericardium. Chevers,4 however, in 1842, was the first to present clearly the clinical picture of chronic constrictive pericarditis. Wilks,1" in 1870, further emphasized this syndrome. Curiously enough, however, it was Friedel Pick'0 whose name was attached many years later to the disease itself, which fact illustrates the neglect of the writings of our forebears. An extraordinary delay supervened, following these early descriptions of the disease, before it wcas shown that the clinical diagnosis could be readily made and that surgical correction was feasible (White,'2 1935). Although much is now known about chronic constrictive pericaiditis and its treatment, new advances aire likely to lead eventually to its reduction and to its earlier recognition and proper treatinent.