Constrictive pericarditis is a serious cardiac condition where the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart, becomes thickened, fibrotic, and rigid. This impairs the heart’s ability to fill properly during diastole, leading to elevated cardiac filling pressures and symptoms like fluid retention, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective management.
Cardiac ultrasound, particularly echocardiography, is a primary tool for diagnosing constrictive pericarditis. It reveals characteristic findings such as septal bounce, respirophasic septal shift, and dilated atria with normal ventricular size. These ultrasound findings are vital for distinguishing it from other conditions like restrictive cardiomyopathy, guiding appropriate treatment strategies including surgical pericardiectomy.