A 26 year old man complains ofabdominal distension, swelling of the legs and easy fatigability. His blood pressure is 90/70mm Hg and pulse becomes difficult to feel on deep inspiration.JVP is grossiy elevanted and rises fuher on deep inspiration. He has pedal edema, ascites and tender hepatomegaly. Precordium is quiter with loud and some what early apical third hea sound. The probable diagnosis is -
Constrictive pericarditis is a medical condition characterized by a thickened, fibrotic pericardium, limiting the hea&;s ability to function normally.In many cases, the condition continues to be difficult to diagnose and therefore benefits from a good understanding of the underlying cause The pathophysiological characteristics of constrictive pericarditis are due to a thickened, fibrotic pericardium that forms a non-compliant shell around the hea. This shell prevents the hea from expanding when blood enters it. This results in significant respiratory variation in blood flow in the chambers of the hea. During inspiration, pressure in the thoracic cavity decreases but is not relayed to the left atrium, subsequently a reduction in flow to the left atrium and ventricle happens. During diastole, less blood flow in left ventricle allows for more room for filling in right ventricle and therefore a septal shift occurs. During expiration, the amount of blood entering the right ventricle will decrease, allowing the interventricular septum to bulge towards the right ventricle, and increased filling of the left ventricle and subsequent increased pressure generated by the left ventricle during systole.This is known as ventricular interdependence, since the amount of blood flow into one ventricle is dependent on the amount of blood flow into the other ventricle. Signs and symptoms of constrictive pericarditis are consistent with the following: fatigue, swollen abdomen, difficulty breathing (dyspnea), swelling of legs and general weakness. Related conditions are bacterial pericarditis, pericarditis and pericarditis after a hea attack Diagnosis: The diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis is often difficult to make. In paicular, restrictive cardiomyopathy has many similar clinical features to constrictive pericarditis, and differentiating them in a paicular individual is often a diagnostic dilemma. Chest X-Ray - pericardial calcification (common but not specific), pleural effusions are common findings. Echocardiography - the principal echographic finding is changes in cardiac chamber volume. CT and MRI - useful in select cases. BNP blood test - tests for the existence of the cardiac hormone brain natriuretic peptide, which is only present in RCMP but not in CP Conventional cardiac catheterization Physical examination - can reveal clinical features including Kussmaul&;s sign and a pericardial knock Treatment: The definitive treatment for constrictive pericarditis is pericardial stripping, which is a surgical procedure where the entire pericardium is peeled away from the hea. This procedure has significant risk involved,with moality rates of 6% or higher in major referral centers. A poor outcome is almost always the result after a pericardiectomy is performed for constrictive pericarditis whose origin was radiation-induced, fuher some patients may develop hea failure post-operatively. Ref Harrison 20th edition pg 1545
Cor Pulmonale
Tricuspid stenosis
Constrictive pericarditis
Pulmonary stenosis
C.V.S