Constrictive pericarditis – New methods in the diagnosis of an old disease: A case report

Constrictive pericarditis is a rare clinical entity that can pose diagnostic problems. The gold standard for diagnosis is cardiac catheterization with analysis of intracavitary pres- sure curves, which are high and, in end-diastole, equal in all chambers. The diastolic profile in both ventricles presents the classic dip-and-plateau pattern and the difference between the diastolic pressures of both ventricles should not exceed 3---5 mmHg. Unfortunately, these tradi- tional criteria are not always present and in fact the sensitivity and specificity of equalization of diastolic pressures are relatively low and of limited value in individual patients. This highlights the need to use new cardiac imaging techniques to resolve any doubts. The case described here is a good example. © 2011 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.