Untying the Gordian knot of pericardial diseases: A pragmatic approach

Pericardial disorders constitute a relatively common cause of heart disease. Although acute pericarditis, especially the idiopathic forms that are the most prevalent, is considered a benign disease overall, its short- and long-term complications, namely, recurrent pericarditis, cardiac tamponade and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: George Lazaros, Massimo Imazio, Antonio Brucato, Dimitrios Tousoulis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2016-09-01
Series:Hellenic Journal of Cardiology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1109966616303050
Description
Summary:Pericardial disorders constitute a relatively common cause of heart disease. Although acute pericarditis, especially the idiopathic forms that are the most prevalent, is considered a benign disease overall, its short- and long-term complications, namely, recurrent pericarditis, cardiac tamponade and constrictive pericarditis, constitute a matter of concern in the medical community. In recent years, several clinical trials contributed to redefining our traditional approach to pericardial diseases. In this review, we provide the most recent evidence concerning diagnosis, treatment modalities and short- and long-term prognosis of the most common pericardial disorders.
ISSN:1109-9666