title: Untying the Gordian knot of pericardial diseases: A pragmatic approach.
abstract: Pericardial disorders constitute a relatively common cause of heart disease. Although acute pericarditis, especially the idiopathic forms that are the most prevalent, is considered a benign disease overall, its short- and long-term complications, namely, recurrent pericarditis, cardiac tamponade and constrictive pericarditis, constitute a matter of concern in the medical community. In recent years, several clinical trials contributed to redefining our traditional approach to pericardial diseases. In this review, we provide the most recent evidence concerning diagnosis, treatment modalities and short- and long-term prognosis of the most common pericardial disorders.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, University of Athens Medical School, Hippokration General Hospital, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: glaz35@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lazaros
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Maria Vittoria Hospital and Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imazio
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brucato
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, University of Athens Medical School, Hippokration General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tousoulis
mesh_terms: D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010494:Pericarditis, Constrictive / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis
keywords: Acute pericarditis; Pericardial constriction; Pericardial effusion; Prognosis; Recurrent pericarditis