Resumen

PENA Y LILLO TELLERIA, Abel. CONSTRICTIVE PERICARDITIS. Rev. Méd. La Paz [online]. 2025, vol.31, n.1, pp.93-102.  Epub 30-Jun-2025. ISSN 1726-8958.

Constrictive Pericarditis is the most common form of chronic pericarditis and is characterized by difficulty in right ventricular filling towards the end of diastole, due to the compression of the heart by the thickened/ calcified pericardium and therefore rigid or very little distensible, as consequence of a usually progressive fibrous-retractile reaction, caused by different noxas.

Its diagnosis comes from the participation of two elements: the clinical picture, which fundamentally corresponds to right ventricular failure; and by the Information obtained through imaging studies, where cardiac echocardiography is the first-line method for pathophysiological characterization and hemodynamic evaluation, due to its availability, low cost and versatility. Cardiac tomography allows anatomical characterization, evaluation of adjacent structures and definition of surgical resection. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and catheterization for hemodynamic study are useful in mixed cases or with inconclusive diagnosis.

The appropriate treatment corresponds to surgery: early subtotalpericardiectomy, preferably with a median sternotomy approach and without extracorporeal circulation support.

Palabras clave : Constrictive pericarditis; Pericardial calcification; Diastolic dysfunción; Heart failure; Pericardiectomy.

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