Constrictive pericarditis causing mitral stenosis: a case report

External compression of the cardiac valves giving symptoms is a known pathological entity. We report a 35-year old male patient who presented with a history of palpitations and shortness of breath on exercise of four months' duration. Clinical, radiographic, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic examination, as well as cardiac catheterization revealed mitral stenosis and constrictive pericarditis. After a near radical pericardiectomy, all intraoperatively measured haemodynamic data normalised and the subjective and objective clinical signs and symptoms of mitral stenosis disappeared, and mitral valve surgery was therefore unnecessary and avoidable