Previously unrecognized intrapericardial hematoma leading to refractory abdominal ascites.

Delayed traumatic pericardial syndromes are well recognized. We describe a case in which a patient presented 3 years after an initial trauma with manifestations of constrictive pericarditis. The etiology in this report is attributable to a large intrapericardial hematoma, which is rarely described. This article also illustrates the complimentary nature of magnetic imaging and Doppler echocardiography in the evaluation of pericardial disease.