Sarcoidosis-induced pericarditis in a patient with portopulmonary hypertension: a case report

Portopulmonary hypertension is a rare and severe complication of patients with cirrhosis. Sarcoidosis, a disease of unknown etiology, is also a cause of pulonary hypertension and right heart dysfunction. We report the case of a 51-year-old male patient, suffering from cirrhosis due to Wilson’s disease, portal hypertension and pulmonary hypertension (PH), who developed severe pericarditis. Wilson’s disease was diagnosed 8 years before his last admission to our hospital and was being successfully treated with D-penicillamine. PH was recognized 2 years before admission and being treated with bosentan. The patient complained for dyspnea at rest and the 2D echocardiogram revealed a significant amount of pericardial fluid. All other causes of acute pericarditis were excluded and his laboratory, imaging and histopathological investigation showed evidence of sarcoidosis. He underwent a therapy with corticosteroids (methylprednisolone) and his follow-up examination showed remarkable decrease of the levels of mean pulmonary artery pressure and pericardial fluid

Idiopathic portal hypertension in an "inactive" HBV carrier: a case report

Idiopathic portal hypertension belongs to the group of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, its etiology is still unknown but its prognosis is excellent. We report a case of 45 year old female with inactive hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier status and persistently elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), presented with features of portal hypertension and without evidence of cirrhosis or fibrosis on liver biopsy

Protein-Losing Enteropathy as the Principal Manifestation of Constrictive Pericarditis

Constrictive pericarditis represents a rare cause of protein-losing enteropathy resulting from intestinal lymphangiectasia. We report the case of a patient with an atypical clinical presentation of constrictive pericarditis and protein-losing enteropathy as its principal manifestation; he was successfully treated with pericardiectomy. We conclude that constrictive pericarditis should be considered in the presence of protein-losing enteropathy and also, protein-losing enteropathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hypoalbuminemia