Computed tomography: Diagnostic detection of complete pericardial agenesis: A case report

Abstract

Congenital complete absence of the pericardium is a rare condition, often difficult to diagnose due to its incidental discovery or nonspecific clinical manifestations. Instrumental investigations commonly used as initial approaches, such as chest radiography and electrocardiogram, are often insufficient. Echocardiography is an imaging technique that is used for the initial evaluation of pericardial diseases. However, echocardiography does not offer a physiological anatomical delineation of the pericardium and can be affected by operator dependency, acoustic and nontraditional imaging windows. Therefore, accurate imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are required for correct diagnosis. We present a case of a symptomatic patient with complete pericardial agenesis diagnosed on angio-CT. This case can contribute to highlighting the importance of CT as a comprehensive imaging method in diagnosis, despite MRI being the gold standard in pericardial disease assessment.

Keywords

• Computed tomography
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Complete pericardial agenesis
• Pericardium