title: Diastolic hibernation masquerading as constrictive pericarditis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hibernating myocardium has traditionally been characterized in terms of systolic dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe a case in which a 75-year-old patient with significant coronary artery disease was operated upon for classic constrictive pericarditis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At sternotomy, there was no evidence of pericarditis, but marked diastolic without systolic dysfunction remained. After successful coronary revascularization, the patient immediately exhibited dramatic improvement of diastolic performance. Ex vivo evaluation of myocardial contractile function revealed normal myocardial adrenergic responsiveness, indicating a reversible impairment of contractility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diastolic hibernation may therefore represent a unique form of surgically correctable restrictive cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Denver 80262, USA.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Cain
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Meldrum
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Harken
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002313:Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D017682:Myocardial Stunning / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D010494:Pericarditis, Constrictive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology