Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):17-19 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.042

Silent Armor Around the Heart: Calcific Pericarditis in a Young Man: A Case Report

Songül Usalp^a, Sati Selda Pirinç^b, Süleyman Kürşad Özel^b, Ege Alp Dğdeviren^b, Elif Karatekin^b

^a Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences Kartal Kosuyolu Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

^b Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences Sancaktepe Sehit Professor Doctor Ilhan Varank Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

A 48-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency room complaining of stomach pain and fatigue. He had no known comorbid diseases, was a non-smoker, and had no family history of heart disease or any other disease. Electrocardiography and X-ray were normal, but a thoracic computerized tomography scan revealed mild pericardial effusion, thickening, and calcification at the base of the heart. Transthoracic echocardiography showed mild pericardial effusion around the pericardium, thickening, and increased echogenicity. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging confirmed pericardial effusion and thickening. The findings were consistent with constrictive pericarditis. We present the story of this interesting case due to the grand calcific pericarditis with silent complaint and no dyspnea, edema, or chest pain.

Keywords: Cardiac magnetic resonance, Chronic constrictive pericarditis, Computerized tomography

Received: January 4, 2025; Revised: January 5, 2025; Accepted: March 13, 2025; Prepublished online: June 2, 2012; Published: September 1, 2025  Show citation