[Edema and protein-losing enteropathy complicating chronic constrictive pericarditis associated with an ascending aortic aneurysm].
BACKGROUND
Chronic constrictive pericarditis is suspected on clinical and echocardiographic grounds. Its treatment is surgical.


METHODS
We report here the case of a 45-year-old man, admitted for edema characteristic of lymphatic obstruction. Examination revealed ascending aorta ectasia, associated with chronic constrictive pericarditis. Measurement of alpha-1 antitrypsin clearance confirmed protein-losing enteropathy. Total recovery followed pericardectomy and aneurysm resection.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical edema in this case was due to several phenomena: protein-losing enteropathy from a functional lymphatic overload, induced by chronic constrictive pericarditis and by compression of the right atrium and vena cava by an aortic aneurysm. The hypoalbuminemia induced by protein loss may also magnify edema. An association between chronic constrictive pericarditis and ascending aortic aneurysm is uncommon. No cause for this association was found.
Lesaffre
Francois
F
Département de cardiologie et pathologies vasculaires, CHU de Reims, Hôpital Robert Debré, F-51100 Reims, France. francoislesaffre@hotmail.fr
Sandras
Raphael
R
Saade
Yves-Assad
YA
Duval
Sébastien
S
Metz
Damien
D
D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000150:complications*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004487:Edema / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010494:Pericarditis, Constrictive / Q000150:complications*; D011504:Protein-Losing Enteropathies / Q000209:etiology*