title: Recurrent constrictive pericarditis associated with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis: A case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Constrictive pericarditis is an uncommon disease characterized by impaired diastolic filling of the ventricles, encased in a fibrotic pericardium resulting from an inflammatory process. Rheumatoid arthritis is a rare cause of constrictive pericarditis, usually due to a concomitant acute or chronic serositis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper presents a unique case of recurrent constrictive pericarditis associated with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, requiring pericardiectomy and complicated three years later by recurrent fibrosis, demanding a second pericardiectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Defining this entity as recurrent constrictive "pericarditis" might be a mistake, given that a total pericardiectomy was performed in first instance. No risk factors for recurrent fibrosis have been identified in the current medical literature, apart from partial pericardiectomy. We cannot demonstrate exclusively that rheumatoid arthritis is a risk factor for recurrent pericardial/epicardial fibrosis due to the rare nature of the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further large scale studies are necessary to identify the risk factors for recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Wessex Cardiothoracic Centre, University Hospital Southampton, UK. Electronic address: daniela.votano.87@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Votano
authors.affiliation: Wessex Cardiothoracic Centre, University Hospital Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Geoffrey M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.affiliation: Histopathology Department, University Hospital Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ashton-Key
authors.affiliation: Wessex Cardiothoracic Centre, University Hospital Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Laszlo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Göbölös
keywords: Constrictive pericarditis; Recurrence; Rheumatoid arthritis