Benign Tuberculous Constrictive Pericarditis: A Case of Complete Resolution withEmpirical Antimicrobial Treatment

Tuberculous (tb) pericarditis is a well-known manifestation of tuberculosis, particularly in endemic regions.the progression to constrictive pericarditis, while under anti-tuberculosis treatment, is reported to be ashigh as 30%. this report presents a case of a 56-year-old female patient who complained of cough, pleuriticchest pain, night sweats, and fever, followed by orthopnea, dyspnea, and peripheral edema. transthoracicechocardiography revealed the early stages of constrictive pericarditis and a small pericardial effusion. chestcomputed tomography (ct) showed a thickened pericardium, small pericardial and pleural effusions, andmultiple mediastinal lymphadenopathies. due to a high suspicion of tuberculous pericarditis, the patientwas administered empirical anti-tb treatment. a follow-up after two months showed complete resolutionof symptoms and echocardiographic findings. empirical antimicrobial treatment in endemic areas is a wellestablishedstrategy for managing tuberculous infection and proved successful in this patient. the earlypresentation and the significant improvement in signs and symptoms following the medical anti-tb regimen,without the need for pericardiectomy, were unique aspects of this case.