Constrictive, calcific pericarditis in a systemic sclerosis patient.

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that affects both the skin and internal organs. Pericardial abnormalities in SSc may manifest as fibrous pericarditis, pericardial adhesions, or pericardial effusion, and rarely as pericardial tamponade or constrictive pericarditis. The present literature review reports the only eight cases of constrictive pericarditis that have been reported in the literature, highlighting the rarity of this severe complication. The present report also describes another case of constrictive pericarditis complicating systemic sclerosis in a 57-year-old woman. The onset of this complication happened during the patient's follow-up, leading to heart failure.