Epipericardial fat necrosis as a differential diagnosis of acute chest pain: a case report and algorithm proposal for diagnostic approach.
Tarso Augusto Duenhas AccorsiMilena Ribeiro PaixãoErick de Moraes Santos PiorinoKarine De Amicis LimaKaren Francine KöhlerJosé Leão de SouzaPublished in: Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) (2023)
Chest pain is a frequent, potentially life-threatening condition in the emergency department and requires immediate investigation and treatment. This case report highlights a rare differential diagnosis of pleuritic chest pain: epipericardial fat necrosis. A 29-year-old man presented with normal clinical evaluation, electrocardiography, point-of-care ultrasound, and unremarkable laboratory tests. The initial hypothesis was acute pleuritis. Chest radiography revealed peri-cardiac nonspecific findings, and computed tomography revealed epicardial fat necrosis. Despite the rarity of this condition, accurate diagnosis allows for better practices. An algorithm for a diagnostic approach is proposed.
Keyphrases
- emergency department
- liver failure
- adipose tissue
- clinical evaluation
- computed tomography
- case report
- machine learning
- respiratory failure
- magnetic resonance imaging
- fatty acid
- drug induced
- deep learning
- primary care
- single cell
- aortic dissection
- healthcare
- left ventricular
- image quality
- magnetic resonance
- positron emission tomography
- heart failure
- high resolution
- hepatitis b virus
- mass spectrometry
- ultrasound guided
- intensive care unit
- atrial fibrillation