Cardiovascular · UKMLA & AKT
Constrictive pericarditis
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test. Below are the key points to recognise constrictive pericarditis — the full SA Note notes add investigations, management, complications and 10 practice questions.
Key high-yield points
- Globally: tuberculosis is the most common identifiable cause
- Developed world: idiopathic/viral, cardiac surgery, mediastinal irradiation (5-10 years latency)
- Highest risk of constriction: bacterial (purulent) pericarditis
- Intermediate risk: post-cardiac surgery, systemic inflammatory disease (RA, SLE), mediastinal irradiation, TB
- Low risk: viral/idiopathic, uraemia, drugs, trauma
- Mechanism: pericardial inflammation → fibrosis → thickening → calcification ('eggshell') → rigid shell impairs diastolic filling with fixed cardiac volume
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