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A case report of tuberculous constrictive pericarditis necessitating total pericardiectomy.

Nooraldaem YousifAbdulla AlnuwakhthaAbdulla DarwishZaid ArekatSeham Abdulrahman
Published in: European heart journal. Case reports (2021)
This case demonstrates the paramount importance of early diagnosis and treatment for patients with CP. In this unique case, the acoustic windows on echocardiography were suboptimal because of pericardial thickening. Further, computed tomography did not show significant calcification of the thickened pericardium. A novel approach of assessing haemodynamics through the right antecubital vein and right radial artery facilitated the accurate diagnosis of CP with confidence. Thereafter, successful pericardiectomy revealed a markedly thickened and stiff pericardium with many abscesses and dense adhesions encasing the heart, and pericardial biopsy showed large caseating granulomas. This case exemplifies the difficulty in diagnosing CP and the favourable outcomes achieved with well-timed surgical intervention.
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