Rheumatic constrictive pericarditis. A case report and review of the literature.

A case of calcific constrictive pericarditis in a young White woman with a convincing history of previous acute rheumatic fever complicated by a possible valvular lesion is presented. Cardiac catheterization confirmed the suspicion of significant cardiac compression. Successful pericardiectomy was carried out, but microscopical examination of the excised pericardium failed to demonstrate a cause. In view of the strong past history of acute rheumatic fever and mild mitral insufficiency demonstrated at cardiac catheterization, the author proposes that the calcific constrictive pericarditis was of rheumatic origin. A review of the literature on the association between rheumatic infection and constrictive pericarditis follows.