Key result
Pericardial stripping reveals cholesterol crystals confirming effusive constrictive pericarditis in a case report.
Why the study?
Effusive constrictive cholesterol pericarditis is exceedingly rare with unclear etiology and distinctively high cholesterol levels in the effusion.
Case Report (n=1)
Highlights a rare case of effusive constrictive cholesterol pericarditis diagnosed via pathology after pericardial stripping.
Clinicians should consider cholesterol pericarditis in atypical effusive-constrictive cases; leaves open optimal management strategies pending further evidence.
Effusive constrictive cholesterol pericarditis is exceedingly rare. Most cases have an unclear etiology but can be associated with rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis infection, and hypothyroidism. The hallmark of the effusion is the distinctively high levels of cholesterol. We present the case of a 68-year-old male with prolonged symptoms of dyspnea with associated moderate pericardial effusion that were later determined to be constrictive effusive etiology, and the patient was referred for stripping with pathologic cholesterol crystal formation on pathology review.
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Adamson et al. (2013) conducted a case report in Effusive constrictive cholesterol pericarditis (n=1). Pericardial stripping was evaluated on Pathologic cholesterol crystal formation on pathology review. Pericardial stripping in a 68-year-old male with prolonged dyspnea and moderate pericardial effusion revealed pathologic cholesterol crystal formation, confirming effusive constrictive etiology.
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