Congenital absence of the pericardium. Case report and review of literature

The congenital absence of the pericardium is a rare heart defect and is often asymptomatic, but in some cases potentially serious complications can occur. Usually it is discovered incidentally and physical examination, chest X-ray and electrocardiogram are not often diagnostic. Although echocardiography provides valuable information, multidetector computed tomography or cardiovascular magnetic resonance is needed for further confirmation. This report reviews the salient features of congenital absence of the pericardium, with special emphasis on the complementary value provided by multimodality images.