Diagnosis of congenital absence of left pericardium by MR imaging

Congenital absence of the pericardium, whether partial or total, is a rare abnormality. It can be very difficult to diagnose clinically as well as to confirm radiographically. Plain film fluoroscopy and CT have been shown to be of value in differentiating this entity from others with similar findings. We report a case in which magnetic resonance was utilized to confirm the diagnosis and the findings of this new technique are described.