Total absence of the pericardium incidentally found during surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax.

Congenital absence of the pericardium is a rare malformation which is often found incidentally. We report a case of pericardial absence which was found during surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax. Image analyses suggested that the pericardial absence was bilateral and total. These findings were overlooked on CT, preoperatively. Although rare, the possibility of asymptomatic pericardial absence should be kept in mind when observing the chest images before performing thoracic interventions.