Pericardial mesothelioma can masquerade as pericarditis
Primary pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the membrane surrounding the heart, accounts for less than 1% of all mesothelioma cases. The most rare form of mesothelioma, it can be difficult to diagnosis.
In a recent case study published in Diagnostic Pathology, researchers presented the case of a 45-year-old African American female who died of cardiac arrest after arriving at the emergency department complaining of difficulty walking, dizziness and low blood pressure for several days.
Because her death was sudden and the patient had no known medical history, the medical examiner assumed jurisdiction of her case and performed an autopsy. The autopsy initially presented the suspicion of pericarditis, an inflammatory condition of the membrane around the heart. But microscopic examination of the pericardial tissue showed that the patient actually had primary pericardial mesothelioma. The researchers concluded that grossly abnormal pericardial tissue should be examined microscopically so that this rare disease process doesn’t go undetected.
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