Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a recognised, but unusual cause of chronic ascites. Patients with pericardial constriction may present to non-cardiological specialties, with the symptoms and signs leading to the diagnosis of congestive cardiac failure, lung disease or liver disease. It is important to suspect and rule out CP because with surgery it is treatable and potentially curable. Much of the difficulty in diagnosing CP can be attributed to its insidious course and the absence of typical cardiopulmonary symptoms. Over 50% of patients ending up with pericar-diectomy lack symptoms of dyspnoea and orthopnoea.
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