Abstract

ORTOLA MARTINEZ, María del R et al. Hepatomegaly as a form of presentation in constrictive pericarditis: A pediatric clinical case. Arch. argent. pediatr. [online]. 2019, vol.117, n.5, pp.e523-e526. ISSN 0325-0075.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5546/aap.2019.e523.

Constrictive pericarditis is a rare entity in pediatrics in which there is a limitation for cardiac diastole due to fibrosis of the pericardium. The etiopathogenic origin of this pathology is multiple, finding idiopathic constrictive pericarditis firstly and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection secondly. Diagnosis is a clinical challenge since it requires a high degree of suspicion. It usually presents as oligosymptomatic or with signs and symptoms of low cardiac output. The presence of edema, ascites and impaired liver function usually guides the study towards primary liver disease. A careful clinical history and physical examination together with adequate imaging studies are the cornerstones of the diagnosis. Surgical treatment is curative in the vast majority of patients. We present the case of a 16-year-old patient with hepatomegaly and dyspnea grade 1-2 found in a routine health check-up.

Keywords : Hepatomegaly; Constrictive pericarditis; Child.

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