Erdheim-Chester Disease: a Rare but Important Cause of Recurrent Pericarditis

Rare severe constrictive pericarditis complication in Erdheim-Chester disease: A case report and literature review

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis with diverse clinical features. It is characterized by systemic histiocyte infiltration of the bone, skin, central nervous system, lung, kidney, and cardiovascular system. Pericardial involvement is frequently revealed through either pericardial effusion or pericardial thickening in patients with ECD. Although most patients remain asymptomatic, progressive pericarditis, effusion, or cardiac tamponade may occur. Herein, we report a rare and unusual presentation of ECD in a 51-year-old man who experienced severe constrictive pericarditis. The patient presented with uncontrolled fluid retention and heart failure. After the diagnosis of ECD, interferon alpha treatment was administered. The patient recovered dramatically with decreased pleural and pericardial effusion, as well as improvements in the echocardiographic signs of constrictive pericarditis. Despite several therapeutic options described in the literature for managing ECD-related pericardial disease, a standard treatment has not been established. This report highlights the importance of early treatment based on accurate diagnosis of an unusual ECD complication.

Advances in Understanding and Management of Erdheim-Chester Disease

Erdheim Chester Disease (ECD) is a rare histiocytic disorder marked by infiltration of organs with CD68+ histiocytes. ECD stems from mutations of BRAF and MAP2K1 in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), which further differentiate into monocytes and histiocytes. Histopathology reveals lipid-containing histiocytes, which test positive for CD68 and CD133 in immunohistochemistry. Signs and symptoms vary and depend on the organ/s of manifestation. Definitive radiological results associated with ECD include hairy kidney, coated aorta, and cardiac pseudotumor. Treatment options primarily include anti-cytokine therapy and inhibitors of BRAF and MEK signaling.

Multisystem Erdheim-Chester disease presenting with pericardial effusion confirmed by the effusion cytology specimen

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare histiocytosis characterized by the foamy CD68+CD1a- histiocytes infiltrating multiple organs and tissues. ECD might be asymptomatic or present with variable manifestations. The diagnosis of ECD requires characteristic radiological findings and pathological features. Herein, we described a 52-year-old female patient who was admitted to our hospital for recurrent pericardial effusion for two months. She has a medical history of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and underwent a total thyroidectomy two years before admission. The radiological findings suggested a potential diagnosis of ECD. Cytological analysis of the effusion cytology specimen revealed CD68+CD1a- histiocytes, confirming the ECD diagnosis. The BRAF V600E mutation was identified in the histiocytes, prompting the administration of vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor. After two months of standard-dose vemurafenib treatment, the disease was well controlled with pericardial effusion regression.

Pericardiectomy and Mechanical Mitro-Aortic Valve Replacement in a Young Patient With Erdheim-Chester Disease

Erdheim-Chester disease is a rare histiocytosis that primarily affects the skeletal system, but cardiovascular manifestations occur in 75% of cases and are associated with a poor prognosis. Given the small number of cases, the evolution and management of the disease are uncertain. Therefore, it is important to report and share Erdheim-Chester cases. This report presents the case of a young patient with constrictive pericarditis and mitral valve regurgitation resulting from Erdheim-Chester disease.

Prevalence, patterns and outcomes of cardiac involvement in Erdheim-Chester disease

AIMS

Cardiac involvement of Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD), a rare L group histiocytosis, has been reported to be associated with poor outcomes, but systematic studies are lacking. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence, clinical features, imaging features, and prognosis of cardiac involvement in ECD in a large series.

METHODS AND RESULTS

All patients with ECD who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging between 2003 and 2019 at a French tertiary center were retrospectively included. Primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were pericarditis, cardiac tamponade, conduction disorders, device implantation and coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 200 patients were included [63 (54-71) years, 30% female, 58% BRAFV600E mutated]. Median follow-up was 5.5 years (3.3-9 years). On CMR, right atrioventricular sulcus infiltration was observed in 37% of patients, and pericardial effusion was seen in 24% of patients. In total, 8 patients (4%) had pericarditis (7 acute, 1 constrictive), 10 patients (5%) had cardiac tamponade, 5 patients (2.5%) had ECD-related high-degree conduction disorders, and 45 patients (23%) had CAD. Overall, cardiac involvement was present in 96 patients (48%) and was associated with BRAFV600E mutation [Odds ratio (OR) = 7.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) (3.5-16.8), P < 0.001] and ECD-related clinical events [OR = 5, 95%CI (1.5-21.2), P = 0.004] but not with lower survival in multivariate analysis [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.4, 95% CI (0.8-2.5), P = 0.2].

CONCLUSION

Cardiac involvement is present in nearly half of ECD patients and is associated with BRAFV600E mutation and complications (pericarditis, cardiac tamponade, and conduction disorders) but not with lower survival.

Pancreatic involvement in Erdheim-Chester disease: Rare presentation of a rare disease

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) as a rare non-Langerhans histiocytosis has various clinical manifestations. It is characterized histologically by infiltration of every organ, more commonly bone, retroperitoneum, cardiovascular and CNS systems with foamy, lipid -laden macrophage. Pancreatic involvement as a manifestation of this uncommon disease has very rarely been reported. Here we report a 73-year-old woman with ECD and pancreas involvement in CT, MRI and PET scans. We also aim to increase radiologist knowledge about considering ECD as a differential diagnosis for pancreas mass in the appropriate clinical situation.

Pericardiectomy for Constrictive Pericarditis in a Young Patient With Erdheim-Chester Disease

Erdheim-Chester Disease (ECD) is an extremely rare non-Langerhans histiocytosis that most often presents in the fifth to seventh decades of life. In this case report, we present a 34-year-old woman who underwent successful pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis secondary to ECD, which is the youngest reported patient with ECD to undergo pericardiectomy. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.)

A Clinico-Pathologic Approach to the Differential Diagnosis of Pericardial Tumors

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Tumors of the pericardium are rare, but a wide variety of congenital, infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic processes have been reported. Pericardial tumors can be categorized as non-neoplastic or neoplastic. Neoplastic lesions can be further divided into benign or malignant, with malignancies being either primary or secondary (metastatic). Clinical, radiographic, and pathologic features of the most common entities are discussed.

RECENT FINDINGS

Metastatic neoplasms involving the heart and pericardium are far more common than primary pericardial neoplasms. Of primary pericardial malignancies, mesothelioma is the most common; notably, cytology of effusion fluid is relatively insensitive to the diagnosis. The prognosis for most malignancies of the pericardium, primary or secondary, is poor. Increasingly, clinically recognized diseases that involve the pericardium include Erdheim-Chester and IgG4-related disease. This article provides a comprehensive review of the most recent literature to develop a structured framework to the differential diagnosis of pericardial tumors.

Erdheim-Chester disease: a comprehensive review from the ophthalmologic perspective

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare clonal histiocytic neoplasm with less than 1200 documented cases to date. The disease is life-threatening and difficult to recognize, although increasing awareness as well as the integration of clinical, imaging, pathology information , and genetic studies have led to a recent exponential increase in new reported cases. ECD affects multiple organs and systems, including skeletal, neurologic, and cardiovascular. Pulmonary, retroperitoneal, and cutaneous lesions have also been reported in various combinations. Until the discovery that more than half of ECD patients harbor the BRAF-V600E mutation or other mutations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and RAS pathways, Interferon-a was the first-line treatment. Nowadays BRAF and MEK-inhibitors targeted therapies are the mainstay of treatment. Ophthalmologic involvement occurs in 25% -30% of ECD cases, usually in the form of orbital involvement presenting with exophthalmos and ophthalmoplegia. Other ophthalmologic manifestations include palpebral xanthelasmas, anterior uveitis and vitritis, optic disk edema, choroidal infiltration, recurrent serous retinal detachment, retinal drusen-like deposits and retinal pigment epithelial changes. ECD patients can also present with ocular symptoms as a result of adverse effects of the treatment regimens. In some cases with smoldering or protean symptoms, the emergence of eye manifestations triggered the diagnosis. Ophthalmologists have to be aware of the disease, recognize the constellation of ECD symptoms, and contribute to the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of ECD patients.