Endocardial Fibrosis Simulating Constrictive Pericarditis

Abstract

THE first physician to describe the association of endocardial fibrosis and eosinophilia as a clinical entity was Löffler¹ in 1936. The similarity of this disease to constrictive pericarditis was noted, and it was postulated that in both entities the clinical picture results from restriction of diastolic filling by a thick fibrous plate; it makes little difference whether the thickened plate consists of pericardium or endocardium.Löffler considered the entity that he described to be a manifestation of the rheumatic state, as did Mumme² and Berblinger,³ who have reported cases in which there was thought to be "rheumatic involvement of valve . . .