BACKGROUND Traumatic pericardial rupture is a rare presentation. Pericardial rupture itself is asymptomatic unless complicated by either hemorrhage or herniation of the heart through the defect. Following diagnosis surgical repair of the pericardium is indicated because cardiac herniation may result in vascular collapse and sudden death. OBJECTIVES Here we present a case of traumatic, non-her...

BACKGROUND Primary malignant tumors of the pericardium are rare, and most primary malignant pericardium tumors are mesotheliomas. Primary pericardial angiosarcoma is extremely rare, and it is associated with a poor prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION We report of a 47-year-old woman who complained of activity-related chest tightness and shortness of breath. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance im...

Four cases of congenital defect of the pericardium are described; three had complete absence of the left pericardium and one had a partial defect. One of the patients developed acute pulmonary oedema in the immediate post-operative period following repair of a sinus venosus defect. This complication was thought to be directly related to the pericardial defect. The functions of the pericardium a...

OBJECTIVES Although uncommon, prolonged postoperative air leaks are a troublesome complication of lung surgery. This study was performed to determine if buttressing pulmonary staple lines would reduce air leakage at varying airway pressures, and if there was a difference between buttressing materials. METHODS Using cadaver lungs, the development of air leak from staple lines was evaluated at ...

The effect of the pericardium on the end-systolic pressure-segment length relationship in the left ventricle was examined with an ultrasonic miniature gauge in open-chest dogs. In 12 dogs, blood was infused until left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure reached about 20 mm Hg, and then the pericardium was opened widely. In the other 12 dogs a pericardiectomy was performed without blood infu...

Primary malignant neoplasms of the pericardium are rare and are predominantly mesotheliomas, followed by benign localized fibrous mesothelioma, malignant fibrosarcoma, angiosarcoma and benign and malignant teratomas. 1 This article concerns an atypical presentation of this malignant tumor with symptoms and signs of pericardial effusion. This unusual feature was complete encasement of the h...

conclusions cmr with stir sequences, free breathing sequences and late gadolinium imaging can prove extremely useful for diagnosing constrictive pericarditis. case presentation a 77-year-old man from a country with high incidence of tuberculosis presented with severe dyspnea. echocardiography revealed a small left ventricle with normal systolic and mildly impaired diastolic function. left heart...

A 68-year-oldmanwith a previous history of partial gastrectomy (Billroth II) for an unknown indication, was admitted as an emergency case to our hospital following several hours of epigastric pain. He had suffered weight loss and anorexia for about 4 days, without hematemesis or melena. The physical examination findings were normal except for leg edema. Pulse rate was 118bpm and blood pressure ...

A37-year-old, physically active man presented for evaluation of nonexertional chest pain. He described it as sharp, left-sided, and nonradiating. The review of systems was unremarkable. He had had no previous thoracic surgery. Physical examination revealed a nonpalpable apical impulse, with no other abnormal findings. A chest radiograph (Figure 1) demonstrated a prominent pulmonary artery shado...