[Pericardial defect with atrial herniation].
Pericardial defects are rare in childhood and outcome is usually benign. Patients can be asymptomatic, but they may experience vague chest pain, angina, myocardial ischemia, emboli, and arrhythmia and some cases of sudden death have even been described in the literature. We report the case of a 3-month-old girl who, in the context of an episode of fever, underwent chest X-ray examination, which showed a left heart border anomaly. This finding strongly suggested a congenital partial pericardial defect, which was subsequently confirmed by other techniques. The interest of this case lies in the ability of the pediatrician to establish a presumptive diagnosis by examining the chest X-ray. We conclude by stressing the need for a high degree suspicion for congenital heart anomalies because of the life-threatening nature of some partial pericardial defects, which can lead to left-ventricular herniation.
Betrián Blasco
P
P
Unidad de Cardiología Pediátrica. Departamento de Pediatría. Hospital Universitario Infantil Miguel Servet. Zaragoza. España.
Alonso del Val
B
B
García de La Calzada
D
D
Felipe Villaverde
J
J
Salazar Mena
J
J
D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications*; D006547:Hernia / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010496:Pericardium / Q000002:abnormalities*