We hypothesized that local contact forces between the pericardium and the heart cause regional variation in pericardial deformation during the cardiac cycle, reflecting volume changes of the underlying cardiac chambers. To test this, we measured regional pericardial area over the right atrium (RA) and right ventricle (RV) with orthogonal pairs of sonomicrometers in six open-chest dogs. At a lef...

Pericardial effusion is defined as the accumulation of fluid within the pericardial space. As the pressure within the pericardial space increases, right sided cardiac filling is impaired, resulting in decreased stroke volume with subsequent decreases in cardiac output and ultimately decreased oxygen delivery to the tissues (shock). These manifestations of pericardial effusion are referred to as...

Results Subxiphoid pericardial drainage was performed under local anesthesia. Pericardial fluid of 1000 ml was drained. A pericardial drainage tube was inserted at surgery and removed after 5 days. A 2 x 3 cm2 biopsy specimen was taken under direct vision from the lower aspect of anterior pericardium. Sample of the drained fluid was collected for microbiological culture and cytological analysis...

Malignant pericardial mesothelioma is a rare and progressive cardiac tumor. There is no established standard treatment and the prognosis is poor. Most patients were retrospectively diagnosed from surgery or autopsy due to absence of specific clinical manifestation. Most patients with pericardial mesothelioma have demonstrated constrictive physiology on echocardiography or cardiac catheterizatio...

Many viruses have been identified in pericardial fluid and in tissue samples from humans with pericarditis by means of molecular diagnostics. In canine idiopathic pericardial effusion there is as yet no conclusive evidence to support the involvement of an infectious agent. This study was designed to investigate a possible relationship between idiopathic pericardial effusion in dogs and viruses ...

OBJECTIVE We describe 2 newborn infants with persistent pericardial effusion treated with thoracoscopic pericardial window and thoracic duct ligation. METHODS Patient 1 was a premature female newborn who presented with severe cardiac anomalies, including dextrocardia. She was treated with pulmonary artery handing and pacemaker placement for complete cardiac block. Postoperatively, she develop...

In order to evaluate the reliability and sensitivity of echocardiograms for detecting and quantitating pericardial effusion, 41 patients had echocardiograms on the day prior to cardiac operation. A fluid trap was used to aspirate the pericardium at operation. Thirty-nine of 41 patients had echocardiograms of diagnostic quality. In 25 patients, the echocardiogram was negative for pericardial eff...