P-Wave Dispersion in Patients with Constrictive Pericarditis of Non-Ischemic Etiology Including Tubercoulous and Non-Tuberculous Subjects: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Although P-wave dispersion has proven to be a reliable electrocardiographic predictor of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in many clinical settings, its significance in patients with Constrictive Pericarditis (CP) of non-ischemic origin is to be reported. Objectives: This study aimed to find out whether p-wave dispersion is prolonged in patients with documented CP of non-ischemic origin. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on twenty patients with CP, 16 males and 4 females, with the mean age of 39.0 +/- 20.5 years and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. All the Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were scanned and the P-wave parameters were measured electronically after x 400 magnification. Results: Our main finding was a significantly prolonged maximum P-wave duration (P = 0.018) and P-wave dispersion (P = 0.049) in the patients with CP compared to the control group. These parameters, however, did not have any correlation with the patients' age and disease duration. Conclusions: Since AF is common in patients with CP of any etiology and may have a negative impact on their outcome, detection of individuals susceptible to development of AF could be of great clinical value.