What are some imaging findings of chronic constrictive pericarditis?
Chronic (constrictive) pericarditis can be caused by cardiac surgery, radiation, or tuberculosis; however, most cases are idiopathic. Patients commonly present with right heart failure. Imaging findings include pericardial thickening, pericardial calcification, and abnormal motion of the interventricular septum ( Figure 12-7 ). None of these findings is pathognomonic. In the appropriate clinical setting, and with invasive or noninvasive hemodynamic findings suggesting constrictive or restrictive physiology, a thickened pericardium seen on CT or MRI is sufficient to make the diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis.
