Abstract

ESQUIVEL SOSA, Leidelén; FLEITES GARCIA, Yagima; GONZALEZ RIOS, Yisel  and  JIMENEZ GONZALEZ, Yurisandra. Usefulness of imaging techniques in tuberculous pericarditis. CorSalud [online]. 2021, vol.13, n.1, pp. 86-92.  Epub Mar 01, 2021. ISSN 2078-7170.

Tuberculosis bacillus has been around for 3 million years. This is an infectious disease caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. It basically has three presentation forms: pulmonary, miliary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis, within the latter pericardial tuberculosis is included. Regarding the specific case of Imaging, radiological signs have been described with important findings in the cardiac area. Echocardiogram could be considered the best noninvasive diagnostic method for detecting the presence of pericardial thickening and pericardial effusion with or without fibrin. Chest computed tomography scan provides an excellent assessment of the anatomy of the heart and pericardium, the thickness of the latter, and the presence of fluid between its layers. Positron emission tomography (PET) study is very useful in discriminating tuberculous pericarditis from idiopathic one. Magnetic resonance imaging is very sensitive to assess myocardial structure, function, inflammation, and fibrosis. Pericardial tuberculosis infection remains a global health problem with challenging diagnosis for those specialists facing it, which requires several diagnostic imaging techniques and bacteriological tests, in order to achieve its confirmation.

Keywords : Tuberculosis; Pericardial tuberculosis; Diagnostic imaging; Echocardiography; Computed tomography; Magnetic resonance imaging.

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