Constrictive Pericarditis Presenting as Bilateral Pleural Effusion: A Report of Two Cases

Authors

Manesh Kumar Gangwani, Aga Khan University
Salman B. Mahmood,, Hennepin County Medical Center.
Fariha Hasan, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan.
Javaid Khan, Aga Khan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Report

Department

Pulmonary and Critical Care

Abstract

Constrictive pericarditis is a rare presentation. We need a very high index of clinical suspicion to diagnose the disease. It most commonly presents secondary to tuberculosis (TB) in the developing world and post-radiation therapy in the developed world. Classically, it presents with symptoms of heart failure and as pericardial thickening or calcification on imaging studies. In hospital settings, constrictive pericarditis is not usually considered as a differential in patients presenting with pleural effusion. According to the literature, associated pleural effusions in cases of constrictive pericarditis could be left-sided. Herein, we present two unusual presentations of cases with bilateral pleural effusions. One of our cases developed constrictive pericarditis with concurrent active tuberculosis. This is a rare presentation because, normally, constrictive pericarditis is a late complication of tuberculosis. We suggest that when dealing with cases of bilateral pleural effusion, the etiology of constrictive pericarditis should be considered.

Comments

Case REport.

Publication (Name of Journal)

Curēus.

Recommended Citation

Gangwani, M. K., Mahmood,, S. B., Hasan, F., Khan, J. (2018). Constrictive Pericarditis Presenting as Bilateral Pleural Effusion: A Report of Two Cases. Curēus., 10(4), e2451-e2451.
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_med_pulm_critcare/60

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.