PURE EPICARDITIS AFTER SURGICAL REPAIR OF ATRIAL SEPTAL-DEFECT - A RARE FORM OF CONSTRICTIVE PERICARDITIS - A CASE-REPORT

The authors report a case of constrictive pericarditis occurring two y ears after surgical repair of an atrial septal defect in a 37 year-old -man. The diagnosis was made by right heart catheterisation and magnet ic resonance imaging. The special feature of this clinical case was th e exclusive localisation of the fibrosis on the visceral pericardium o r epicarditis. The outcome was favourable after resection of the visce ral pericardium respecting the parietal pericardium. Magnetic resonanc e imaging and right heart catheterisation performed 6 months after sur gery were normal, Constrictive pericarditis is a classical complicatio n of cardiac surgery but relatively rare after repair of an atrial sep tal defect. Isolated involvement of the visceral pericardium is rare a nd allows surgical correction by exclusive epicardectomy respecting th e parietal pericardium.