Affiliation:
1. Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University Guangzhou China
2. Faculty of Medicine Macau University of Science and Technology Macau China
Abstract
AbstractConstrictive pericarditis is a rare disease. Localized constrictive pericarditis leading to bilateral pleural effusion is more difficult to recognize, and the diagnostic procedure can be ambiguous. Here, we report two patients diagnosed with localized constrictive pericarditis who presented with bilateral pleural effusion. A thorough work‐up showed that the pleural effusion was nonspecific, as was the pathology of the pleura. One patient had a history of pericardial effusion 2 years ago, and the other had undergone surgery for an anterior mediastinum teratoma. Pericardial scarring was found on their chest CT scans. The patients underwent pericardiectomy, and localized pericardial thickening was excised. The bilateral pleural effusion was effectively cured, and the patients showed satisfactory recovery on follow‐up. Physicians should be aware of localized pericarditis leading to bilateral pleural effusion, and pericardiectomy is an effective diagnostic and therapeutic procedure.