What does pericardial thickening mean?

Pericardial thickening is generally defined as a thickening of the pericardial fibers, usually caused by an inflammatory response in the dirty, walled layers of the pericardium. The pericardium is a two-layered sac-like structure. The dirty layer is a plasma membrane, and the pericardial cavity formed between it and the fibrous wall layer is lubricated by 15-20 ml of plasma. Inflammation of the pericardium is a pathological change in the pericardium due to infection, tumor, uremia, or trauma. Inflammation of the pericardium often results in the formation of pericardial effusion, which contains plasma, fibrin, inflammatory cells, necrotic tissue and other substances. Clinically, even after active treatment of pericarditis, some patients may still have hemodynamic disorders due to fibrin and inflammatory cell deposition in the pericardium, causing pericardial thickening and adhesion, and limiting the diastolic filling of the heart. Therefore, patients with related diseases should consult the doctor as soon as possible and cooperate with the doctor’s treatment to prevent or reduce the process of pericardial thickening.