Voir la suite de cet article sur Cursus ECG
Patient
67-year-old man hospitalized for right cardiac decompensation with post-tuberculous chronic constrictive pericarditis;
Trace
This tracing shows a sinus rhythm, left atrial enlargement (prolonged P-wave, fragmented from V2 to V5, prolonged negative component in V1), narrow QRS with right conduction delay pattern (low voltage rsr' pattern), diffuse (inferior and precordial leads) and shallow negative T-waves;
Exergue
Constrictive chronic pericarditis is accompanied by inconsistent aspecific electrocardiographic signs: left atrial enlargement, frequent atrial arrhythmias, right axis deflection, possible reduction in voltages, diffuse negative T-waves.
Chronic constrictive pericarditis is a rare condition; this is a standard case of diagnosis of elimination to be evoked when faced with a clinical picture of unexplained right heart failure. Typically, there is fibrous thickening of the pericardium, diffuse or localized, with calcification.