Partial Congenital Absence of The Pericardium: A Case Report

Braz J Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Dec 1;34(5):633-636. doi: 10.21470/1678-9741-2018-0357.

Abstract

The complete or the partial absence of pericardium is a rare congenital malformation for which the patients are commonly asymptomatic and the diagnosis is incidental. The absence of the left side of the pericardium is the most common anomaly that is reported in the literature while the complete absence of pericardium or the absence of the right side of the pericardium are uncommon and their criteria are still unrecognized given their rare occurrence in clinical practice. This paper aims to report a case of 19-year-old male with the congenital partial absence of both sides of the pericardium and to highlight the symptoms and the different cardiac imaging modalities used to confirm the diagnosis of this defect.

Keywords: Cardiac Imaging Techniques; Congenital Heart Defects - Anatomy and Histology; Pericardium.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aorta / diagnostic imaging
  • Asymptomatic Diseases
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / diagnostic imaging*
  • Humans
  • Incidental Findings
  • Male
  • Pericardium / abnormalities*
  • Pericardium / diagnostic imaging*
  • Pulmonary Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Radiography, Thoracic
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Young Adult