title: Congenital absence of pericardium: an unusual cause of atypical angina.
abstract: Congenital defects of the pericardium are unusual. Patients may experience exertional chest pain, cardiac arrhythmias, syncope, sudden death, or incarceration of myocardium, or they may be entirely asymptomatic. We describe the case of a symptomatic pericardial herniation diagnosed by echocardiography and confirmed by cineangiography. Successful repair was accomplished using a polytetrafluoroethylene soft-tissue prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Section of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-2423.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Janssen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010496:Pericardium / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D019736:Prostheses and Implants
chemical_list: D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene