Importance of Imaging Methods for Diagnosing Constrictive Pericarditis Versus Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

Introduction

Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a challenging differential diagnosis of chest pain in a cardiac emergency. This is the case report of a patient who presented with a seven-day history of chest pain for whom the possibility of calcified pericarditis was suggested due to changes on chest X-ray. After referral to a specialized cardiology service, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) showed that the case was compatible with CP, which required surgical management. From chest X-ray to CMR, all imaging tests proved crucial for confirming the suspected diagnosis and defining the treatment.

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