title: Congenital absence of the pericardium: case presentation and review of literature.
abstract: Congenital absence of the pericardium is an uncommon finding that may or may not be symptomatic. Asymptomatic patients are discovered incidentally during cardiac surgery for an unrelated condition or postmortem. However, symptomatic patients may experience non-exertional paroxysmal stabbing chest pain. It may occur with other cardiac or extracardiac abnormalities and a variety of imaging modalities may identify the condition. Complete cases are more rare than partial effects. However, complications are more common with partial absence due to strangulation of the heart into the defect thus requiring surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA. aabbas@beaumont.edu
authors.forename: Amr E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Appleton
authors.forename: Patrick T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sweeney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002037:Bundle-Branch Block / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010496:Pericardium / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography