¿Pericardial disease is a broad term that describes a wide range of pathologies. The clinical
aspects of pericardial disease encompass acute pericarditis pericardial tamponade pericardial
effusion constrictive pericarditis and effusive-constrictive pericarditis. Those disorders
differ not only in clinical presentation but also in the timeline of disease development for
example pericardial tamponade is commonly an acute life-threatening event whereas
constrictive pericarditis is a chronic process developing over months to years. Therefore
pericardial disease management is challenging for most clinicians. The evidence base in the
field is relatively scarce compared with other disease entities in cardiology. European Society
of Cardiology released guidelines for the diagnosis and management of pericardial diseases.
Currently there are no guidelines from American cardiology societies to help clinicians in
dealing with pericardial disease. In this book my goal is to provide extensive review of
pericardial disease evaluation and management. A unified stepwise pathway-based approach for
the management of pericardial disease is provided at the end of the book.¿
