[Congenital aplasia of left-sided pericardium].

Congenital defects of the pericardium are very rare and are often not recognized before surgery. We report a case study of a 16-year-old girl with a four-year history of dyspnoea on exertion, palpitations, left sided thoracic pain and near-syncope. Explorative thoracotomy revealed total absence of the left sided pericardium. This allows the heart to become displaced, thus giving the patient her uncharacteristic symptoms. The large defect was left open, to avoid compromising the venous circulation.