Imaging diagnosis of pericardial agenesis

Pericardial agenesis is a rare anomaly, difficult to diagnose. Its evolutio n is usually benign. However, on rare ocasions, partial defects have been t he cause of sudden death. Therefore, surgical treatment has sometimes been indicated, even though in the cases were asymptomatic. We report the case o f a 50 year-old woman with partial pericardial agenesis and herniation of l eft atrial appendage trough. The defect was discovered by a routine chest x -ray and treated in a conservative way. Current diagnostic and therapeutic techniques are reviewed.