Calcific pericarditis strangling the heart, an answer to unexplained heart failurediagnostic modalities

Abstract

Pericardial calcification is often found incidentally from
imaging studies and may be a clue to constrictive
pericarditis. Constrictive pericarditis often mimics other
causes of heart failure, pulmonary, or liver disease,
making it hard to diagnose. Tuberculosis is the most
common infectious aetiology of Constrictive Pericarditis.
Living in developing countries, such as Indonesia, should
warn us of the possibility of tuberculous constrictive
pericarditis as a differential diagnosis of unexplained
heart failure. The presented case came with complaints of
shortness of breath, especially on exertion for five years,
which worsened in the last 6 months. The past history of
pulmonary Tuberculosis with the Cardiac CT findings
confirmed the diagnosis of Constrictive Pericarditis.
Keywords: Pericarditis, Tuberculous, Heart Failure, Liver
Diseases