Constrictive pericarditis decades after aortic valve repair

Abstract

Constrictive pericarditis is rare after cardiac surgery, with a time to presentation ranging from 82 days to 204 months. We report a 75-year-old man who underwent aortic valve replacement and developed constrictive pericarditis 21 years later. He underwent a pericardiectomy with pericardial stripping, which confirmed constrictive pericarditis and improved his symptoms.

Keywords:

• Aortic valve surgery
• chronic pericarditis
• constrictive pericarditis