Pericardial calcification: Don’t rush! The importance of invasive hemodynamic assessment

Abstract

To the Editor, Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is cause for diastolic heart failure due to the presence of a non-distensible pericardium. Diagnostic suspicion is key here because, even though it is a potentially curable condition, if untreated, its morbimortality rate is high.1 Its differential diagnosis with restrictive cardiomyopathy can be a real challenge.2 We present a case where the invasive hemodynamic assessment performed through cardiac catheterization showed its validity and diagnostic importance in the therapeutic decision-making process.