Abstract:

A 14-month-old female infant was admitted with tachypnea, tachycardia, hypotension, prolonged fever of unknown origin, lethargy, poor feeding, leukocytosis, and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Chest radiography revealed mild cardiomegaly with bilateral pleural effusion. Owing to a lack of clinical improvement and poor response to initial treatment, a pediatric cardiology consultation was obtained, and echocardiography was performed, which revealed mild bilateral pleural effusion and pericardial effusion with fibrinous strands. Chest ultrasound and CT angiography of the heart and vascular of mediastinum confirmed these findings. To rule out malignancy, bacterial infection, tuberculosis, and other etiologies, pericardiocentesis was performed, and the specimens were analyzed; the results were solely consistent with viral clinically myopericarditis. The patient received appropriate treatment for the condition for 14 days, during which her clinical status gradually improved, and she was subsequently discharged. Follow-up evaluations 4-8 weeks later demonstrated improved cardiac function and the absence of pericardial effusion.

Conclusion:

The most important conclusion of this article is that the use of PCR in this patient prevented misdiagnosis and error in the treatment protocol.