Incidental pericardial calcification found on cardiac CT requires careful clinical correlation to rule out pericardial constriction, though it is not diagnostic on its own.
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Incidental pericardial calcification on CT requires clinical correlation to exclude constriction; case reports leave open prospective validation of diagnostic criteria.
Calcification of the pericardium is a relatively rare finding and often has an uncertain etiology. Incidental findings of pericardial calcification may increase due to widespread application of cardiac computed tomography for the assessment of coronary atherosclerosis in the appropriate clinical setting using coronary artery calcium scoring and/or coronary angiography. Pericardial calcification alone is asymptomatic and is neither necessary nor sufficient for the diagnosis of pericardial constriction. Its presence may suggest of diffused pericardial scarring and consequently, its pathological involvement with pericardial constriction. Calcification of the pericardium must be evaluated with full clinical knowledge to facilitate an accurate diagnosis and an appropriate therapy when required. Our objective is to present a case of asymptomatic pericardial calcification and to discuss the importance of its clinical implications.
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Tin Nguyen (2014) studied this question.
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