Complete Absence of the Left Pericardium

Pericardial defect is a rare congenital abnormality, and most of the presenting cases are reported from intraoperative or post-mortem diagnosis. We report a case (46 yr-old male) with a 2-year history of vague chest pain and dry cough. Chest roentgenography showed a mass in the supero-medial portion of the left lung without displacement of the heart. Computerized tomography supported the diagnosis of a cystic mass in the medial part at the lingula lobe of the left lung. Echocardiography was normal. He was operated for symptomatic pulmonary mass and intraoperative findings were complete absence of the left pericardium and a bronchogenic cyst of the lingual (Iranian Heart Journal 2007; 8 (2): 56-58).