All About Constrictive Pericarditis

All About Constrictive Pericarditis is an enduring educational activity designed to address challenges in the echocardiographic recognition and differentiation of constrictive pericarditis from restrictive myocardial disease. Technical complexity, inconsistent use of standardized protocols, and difficulty recognizing subtle physiologic findings can contribute to diagnostic uncertainty and inaccurate interpretation. Through recorded video instruction, written educational content, and knowledge assessment, learners review the pathophysiology and hemodynamic features of constrictive pericarditis; two-dimensional and M-mode assessment of respirophasic septal motion; mitral and tricuspid inflow variation; hepatic vein Doppler findings; tissue Doppler patterns; and multiparametric approaches for distinguishing constrictive physiology from restrictive cardiomyopathy. The activity also addresses image acquisition, optimization, and interpretation of ventricular interdependence and diastolic filling abnormalities. The activity is designed to strengthen the learners ability to acquire appropriate echocardiographic measurements, recognize characteristic Doppler and tissue Doppler findings, and integrate multiple parameters when evaluating suspected constrictive pericarditis. Following the activity, learners should be better prepared to perform consistent, comprehensive examinations and provide diagnostically useful echocardiographic findings that support accurate differentiation of constrictive and restrictive physiology.