OBJECTIVES Chronic pericardial effusion may be challenging in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Specific laboratory parameters predicting the frequency and severity of recurrences after initial drainage of pericardial effusion are lacking. MATERIALS AND METHODS Pericardial fluid (PF) and serum (SE) samples from 30 patients with chronic pericardial effusion (PE) who underwent pericardiocentesi...

Although pericardial cysts are generally benign structures and detected incidentally, they may be associated with life-threatening complications. We present the case of a 24 year-old man with a giant hemorrhagic pericardial cyst diagnosed after evaluation for recurrent syncope which caused compression of the right ventricle. Spontaneous hemorrhage into a pericardial cyst is an extremely rare ev...

BACKGROUND Recurrent symptomatic pericardial effusion can complicate different cardiac and extracardiac diseases. When recurrent pericardial effusion after drainage with conventional catheter techniques occurred the creation of a pericardial window by open surgery used to be the unique treatment available until the recent development of percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy. OBJECTIVE The aim o...

Incidence and significance of pericardial effusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have not been established. To evaluate these issues, we studied prospectively 138 consecutive patients with AMI. An echocardiogram was obtained in each 1, 3, and 10 days and 3 and 6 months after admission. Fifty four patients with unstable angina and 57 without heart disease were studied as con...

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) are sensitive and specific markers for myocardial ischemia and necrosis. Dogs with pericardial effusion frequently have myocardial ischemia and necrosis, and these changes are more severe in dogs with hemangiosarcoma (HSA). We investigated the utility of using serum cTnI and cTnT concentrations to identify the idiopathic pericardial effusi...

primary malignant neoplasms of the pericardium are rare and are predominantly mesotheliomas, followed by benign localized fibrous mesothelioma, malignant fibrosarcoma, angiosarcoma and benign and malignant teratomas. 1 this article concerns an atypical presentation of this malignant tumor with symptoms and signs of pericardial effusion. this unusual feature was complete encasement of the heart ...

Pericardial tamponade can lead to significant hemodynamic derangement including cardiac arrest. We experienced a case of pericardial tamponade in a patient with end-stage renal disease. Hemodynamic changes occurred by unexpectedly aggravated pericardial effusion during surgery for iatrogenic hemothorax. We quickly administered a large amount of fluids and blood products for massive bleeding and...

Presentation of pericardial disease is diverse, with the viral aetiology being the most common cause; however, when haemorrhagic pericardial effusion is present, these causes are narrowed to few aetiologies. We present a case of a young female of African descent who presented with diffuse abdominal pain and vomiting. Initial work-up showed pericardial effusion with impending echocardiographic f...

Cardiac tamponade is the phenomenon of hemodynamic compromise caused by a pericardial effusion. Following a myocardial infarction, the most common causes of pericardial fluid include early pericarditis, Dressler's syndrome, and hemopericardium secondary to a free wall rupture. On transthoracic echocardiography, pericardial fluid appears as an echo-free space in between the visceral and parietal...

pericardial hemangioma is very rare and their coincidence with other visceral hemamgiomas is exceptional. we are reporting a 72-year-old man with an incidentally discovered pericardial hemangioma during coronary artery bypass graft (cabg) and mitral valve replacement surgery and a prior history of multiple hepatic cavernous hemangiomas. this case has been reported due to its extreme rarity. to ...