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Results for “Pericarditis, Constrictive”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Constrictive pericarditis.

Constrictive pericarditis, although still a relatively rare disease, continues to be a clinical problem that most practicing cardiologists may encounter. A major clinical clue to diagnosis is the continued elevation of the central venous pressure after adequate diuresis. The diagnosis is further supported by (1) prominent X and Y descents in the jugular venous pulse, (2) a relatively normal or only slightly enlarged cardiac silhouette in a patient with congestive heart failure, (3) pericardial calcification or significant congestive failure especially when the right sided signs predominate without obvious cause. When the disease is suspected, appropriate investigation should be undertaken using both the noninvasive and the catheterization studies. If the diagnosis is supported, then the choice of therapy at present is based primarily on severity of symptoms with surgical removal of the constricting pericardium being the therapy of choice in patients unable to be managed medically.

Adolescent

Traumatic hemopericardium and chronic constrictive pericarditis.

Chronic constrictive pericarditis following traumatic hemopericardium has been reported in recent years, but it has not been reproduced experimentally in dogs. The present study attempted to produce posttraumatic constrictive pericarditis in 34 experimental animals. Hemopericardium by means of trauma to the epicardium or pericardium was produced by a sharp instrument or by the injection of autologous blood inside the pericardial sac. All animals were killed at intervals between 3 and 31 months. The animals in which hemopericardium was induced by injecting blood into the pericardial cavity showed no changes. The hemopericardium was completely resolved without noticeable residual trace. Animals having hemopericardium as a result of trauma evidenced a well-developed constrictive pericarditis that was documented clinically, hemodynamically, and histologically. These experimental findings indicate that chronic constrictive pericarditis may well be due to traumatic hemopericardium rather than to specific infection.

Animals

Collagen diseases as a cause of constrictive pericarditis.

Seven patients with constrictive pericarditis associated with collagen disease underwent pericardiectomy with good results in all but one. The collagen disease was confirmed as rheumatoid arthritis in five patients, but in two its nature remained obscure. In one case the illness was marked by a persistent eosinophilia and eosinophilic infiltration of the pericardium. The association of constrictive pericarditis with rheumatoid arthritis and other collagenoses is briefly discussed.

Adolescent

An echocardiographic study of the interventricular septum in constrictive pericarditis.

Ten patients with constrictive pericarditis were studied echocardiographically with specific reference to inter-ventricular septal dynamics. Abnormal movement of the interventricular septum was present in 8 patients and consisted of flattening in systole and unusual posterior motion in diastole. The aetiology of this type of movement is at present unknown but may be related to restriction of normal cardiac rotational dynamics. The interventricular septum also showed diminished degree of thickening (mean 21-2%). The amplitude of excursion was generally at the upper limit of or greater than normal. Left ventricular posterior wall amplitude of excursion was normal. Flattening of left ventricular posterior wall diastolic movement was seen in 4 patients. Right ventricular end-diastolic dimension was slightly increased (1-2 to 1-7 cm/m2) in 5 of 8 patients with abnormal septal motion, but no haemodynamic evidence of diastolic volume overload was found. Posterior pericardial thickening was noted echocardiographically when posterior calcification was present. We conclude that the most common though non-specific feature of the echocardiogram in patients with constrictive pericarditis is abnormal septal motion. Flattening of left ventricular posterior wall diastolic movement, posterior pericardial thickening, and epicardial-pericardial separation may also occur.

Adult

Constrictive pericarditis.

A patient with constrictive pericarditis following an open-heart operation without sepsis is discussed. In the absence of sepsis, it has been widely held that this complication does not develop following an open-heart procedure. The fatal outcome in this patient could have been avoided had such an association been known.

Aortic Valve

[Constrictive pericarditis in severe seronegative rheumatoid polyarthritis].

Constrictive pericarditis is a rare complication of rheumatoid arthritis, with 78 published cases. We report a new typical case where the pericardial disease was associated with a severe seronegative rheumatoid arthritis of 17 years duration. Constrictive pericarditis generally occurs in men (62.8% of all cases) aged 52.4 +/- 11.5 years. Its clinical features are identical with those of constrictive pericarditis due to other causes. Diagnosis rests on echocardiography and, chiefly, on right heart catheterization. The arthritis is seropositive in 85.7% of the cases, frequently nodular (75%) and advanced. There is no relation between its duration (mean: 9.6 +/- 7.4 years) and the occurrence of the pericardial pathology. The pericardial fluid has no specific abnormality. Histology shows fibrosis and a non-specific inflammatory cell infiltrate. Immunoglobulin and complement deposits in the walls of the pericardial vessels are detected by immunofluorescence. The only treatment is pericardiectomy; without it the disease is constantly lethal.

Antibodies, Antinuclear

[Phonomechanocardiography of constrictive pericarditis].

There were studied 19 constrictive pericarditis cases demonstrated by anatomist study. It was evident, at all of them, systemic veiny hypertension's syndrome. "Extinguished" cardiac noises and "quiet" heart only appeared at the 42% of the cases. 73% of patients were found with important incapacity. Lyan's pericardic protodiastolic crack was registered at the 75% of the cases and only at 2 cases (10.9%) it was found reinforcement of pulmonary noise II. It is agree with the haemodynamic discovery of pulmonary pression's light elevation. Characteristically, precordiogrammes showed great "A" wave, and it was agree with telediastolic pression's elevation of the two ventricles obtained by catheterism. Phlebogramme was characteristic of systemic veiny hypertension by impediment of ventricular filled at all the studied cases. Measurement of cardiac cycle's phases showed diminution at PE, Blumberger's intrasystolic quotient, left expulsion fraction (Carrard's method) and ventricular pression's elevation middle velocity (VPEMV). By the contrary Weissler's index was found elevated. Eventhough found ciphers could be considered like bordering normal values, there is a difference statistically significance in relation with the values that were found in sane subjects. These discoveries were interpreted in the base that the patient's heart with constrictive pericarditis acts at the curve's ascendent part of the ventricular function because it has incapacity to utilize Starling's mechanism. Process' chronicity produces myocardic atrophy by "discuss" and, by this, ventricular function's improvement can be no immediate to pericardiectomy. Apexcardiogramme shows the impedement to ventricular filled with its diastolic morphology which is very similar to intracavitary pression's curve ("square root's image"). It is postuled the hypothesis that these sicks do not develop important pulmonary hypertension, because right ventricle's poor diastolic distension impides generation of major expense and systolic pression and, by other side, the impedement to ventricular filled has repercussion over right auricle and systemic veiny territory much more distensible, with the known clinical consequences.

Adolescent

Cardiac tamponade, constrictive pericarditis and pericardial resection in rheumatoid arthritis.

Four patients with rheumatoid constrictive pericarditis and two patients with rheumatoid cardiac tamponade are presented, and 60 previously reported cases with these two complications are reviewed. Rheumatoid arthritis was moderate to severe in 84% of the patients with cardiac tamponade and in 74% of the patients with constrictive pericarditis. However, both these complications were also seen in patients who had only mild arthritis and in two previously reported cases constrictive pericarditis actually preceded the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. The duration of rheumatoid arthritis had no bearing on the development of these complications. In 75% of patients with cardiac tamponade, and in 66% of cases with constrictive pericarditis, subcutaneous nodules were present. In those cases where the rheumatoid factor was measured it was positive in 92% with cardiac tamponade and in 84% with constrictive pericarditis. In 63% of patients with cardiac tamponade and in 70% of cases with constrictive pericarditis a history of pericardial type of pain was obtained and/or a pericardial rub heard. The diagnosis of cardiac tamponade and constrictive pericarditis was made clinically and in doubtful cases confirmed by cardiac screening and intracardiac pressure recordings. The low sugar content in the pericardial fluid in the absence of infection or malignancy was an important clue to the rheumatoid etiology of the effusion. In the majority of the cases histological appearances of the pericardial tissue showed non-specific fibrous reaction and infiltration with plasma cells and lymphocytes. Only in five of the cases, including one from the present series, were typical rheumatoid granulomatous lesions demonstrated. Treatment with corticosteroids neither prevented the occurrence nor led to amelioration of either cardiac constriction or tamponade. Pericardial resection was life saving, producing both symptomatic and objective involvement of the cardiac function. In the present series of six cases two patients developed aortic incompetence. In one of these it was due to rheumatoid granulomatous valve disease and in the other due to non-specific aortic valvulitis. The combination of constrictive pericarditis and granulomatous aortic valve disease has not been previously recorded.

Adult

Usefulness of systolic time intervals in differential diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Systolic time intervals in 15 patients with constrictive pericarditis and seven patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy were compared in order to assess their value in the differential diagnosis of the two disorders. Clinical examination had failed to make the distinction. Right heart catheterization was helpful in diagnosing restriction but failed to differentiate patients with constrictive pericarditis from those with restrictive cardiomyopathy. The systolic time intervals clearly separated the two groups. The PEP/LVET was normal in all patients with constrictive pericarditis (0.34 +/- 0.01) and abnormal in all patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy (0.70 +/- 0.09, P less than 0.001). In 13 patients (five with restrictive cardiomyopathy and eight with constrictive pericarditis) the results of quantitative left ventricular angiocardiography were available. A high correlation (r=-0.90, P less than 0.01) between the PEP/LVET and the ejection fraction confirmed the validity of the PEP/LVET as a measure of left ventricular performance in these patients. Thus the systolic time intervals clearly distinguished between constrictive pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy and are a reliable non-invasive technique for making the difficult differential diagnosis.

Adult

Systolic time intervals in constrictive pericarditis. A study before and after digitalis.

Systolic time intervals were studied in 9 patients with documented constrictive pericarditis before and 15 to 20 minutes after intravenous administration of peruvoside (a quick acting digitalis-like glycoside) to determine underlying myocardial dysfunction. Data were compared with those of similarly studied normal subjects and patients with known myocardial dysfunction. Left ventricular ejection time index (LVETI) decreased in normal subjects (P less than 0.01) and in most patients with constrictive pericarditis, and increased marginally in those with myocardial dysfunction (NS) after peruvoside administration. Pre-ejection period index (PEPI) shortened significantly (P less than 0.01) after peruvoside in normal subjects and in patients with myocardial failure, but not in constrictive pericarditis. Likewise the predicted ejection fraction was insignificantly altered in constrictive pericarditis but significantly so (P less than 0.01) in myocardial failure and normal subjects. The response of one patient with constrictive pericarditis to parenteral peruvoside administration was similar to that seen in patients with myocardial failure. This patient had a delayed recovery after pericardiectomy. PEPI/LVETI ratio and ejection fraction were also abnormal in other patients with constrictive pericarditis when compared to normal subjects. Such abnormalities and the unusual response of some patients to administration of peruvoside may reflect underlying myocardial dysfunction in patients with constrictive pericarditis. However, it is possible that the rigid pericardium also contributes to these abnormalities to a varying extent. Systolic time indices and their response to digitalis appear to be a useful, atraumatic method for detecting underlying myocardial dysfunction in patients with constrictive pericarditis.

Adolescent

Constrictive pericarditis after myocardial revascularization: report of three cases.

Although postoperative constrictive pericarditis is rare, the diagnosis should be considered when unexplained right-sided heart failure develops after cardiac surgery. Within a 6 week interval, evidence of constrictive pericarditis developed in three patients who had recently undergone myocardial revascularization. One patient presented with biventricular failure, pericardial effusion and suspected tamponade. Severe constrictive pericarditis was demonstrated at subsequent operation. An apparent postpericardiotomy syndrome preceded evidence of right heart failure in the other two patients. Etiologic considerations include the possibility that pericardial irrigation with povidone-iodine (Betadine) solution may have contributed to subsequent fibrosis.

Cardiac Catheterization

Constrictive pericarditis: early and late complication of cardiac surgery.

Constrictive pericarditis is not considered a complication of cardiac surgery. However, three cases are presented in which equalization of diastolic pressures and the ventricular pressure pattern of early diastolic dip-late diastolic plateau, characteristic of restrictive disease, appeared after cardiac surgery. In one patients cardiac constriction developed less than 2 weeks after surgery, and loculated clotted and unclotted viscous blood was removed from the pericardial space. In the other two patients the pericardial space was obliterated by dense adhesions. Thus constrictive pericarditis should be considered in postoperative patients who either do not recuperate satisfactorily after surgery or whose condition deteriorates after initial recovery.

Aged