CT AND MRI FINDINGS IN A CHILD WITH CONSTRICTIVE PERICARDITIS

Constrictive pericarditis is rare in children. We report computed tomo graphy (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in a 3-year- old girl. She had a swollen abdomen that increased in two months. CT a nd MRI showed a thickened pericardium (5.2 mm) without calcification. Both atria were enlarged and ventricles were relatively small. The eng orged inferior vena cava had 2.8x the diameter of the descending aorta at the same level. Symptoms were dramatically improved after pericard iectomy. The histopathological features confirmed chronic pericarditis .