A case report of congenital absence of the pericardium that was diagnosed by cardiac computed tomography angiogram (CCTA)

Abstract

This case report describes a 40-year-old male who presented to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain. Initial diagnostic workup was concerning for a congenital cardiac anomaly, further imaging revealed complete congenital absence of the pericardium (CAP) which is a rare condition. Multimodality cardiac imaging including cardiac computed tomography angiogram (CCTA) was used to confirm the diagnosis of CAP. We briefly discuss various clinical presentations of CAP along with potential complications and other anomalies that could be associated with pericardial agenesis.

Keywords

• Coronary computed tomography angiography
• Congenital absence of the pericardium
• Chest pain
• Supraventricular tachycardia