Pericardial Effusion Differential Diagnoses

  • Author: William J Strimel, DO; Chief Editor: Joseph L Fredi, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jun 30, 2010
 
 

Differential Diagnoses

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

William J Strimel, DO  Fellow, Cardiovascular Disease, Scott and White Memorial Hospital

William J Strimel, DO, is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, and Heart Rhythm Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Ramin Assadi, MD  Senior Fellow, Department of Cardiology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine

Ramin Assadi, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, and American Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Ali A Sovari, MD, FACP  Clinical and Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine, Section of Cardiology, University of Illinois College of Medicine; Staff Physician and Hospitalist, St John Regional Medical Center, Cogent Healthcare, Inc

Ali A Sovari, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, American Physiological Society, and Heart Rhythm Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Abraham G Kocheril, MD, FACC, FACP, FHRS  Professor of Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine

Abraham G Kocheril, MD, FACC, FACP, FHRS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, Central Society for Clinical Research, Heart Failure Society of America, and Illinois State Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Justin D Pearlman, MD, PhD, ME, MA  Director of Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging, Professor of Medicine, Professor of Radiology, Adjunct Professor, Thayer Bioengineering and Computer Science, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Justin D Pearlman, MD, PhD, ME, MA is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, American Federation for Medical Research, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, and Radiological Society of North America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Ronald J Oudiz, MD, FACP, FACC, FCCP  Professor of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine; Director, Liu Center for Pulmonary Hypertension, Division of Cardiology, LA Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Ronald J Oudiz, MD, FACP, FACC, FCCP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, and American Thoracic Society

Disclosure: Actelion Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; Encysive Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; Gilead Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; Pfizer Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; United Therapeutics Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; Lilly Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; LungRx Clinical Trials + honoraria; Bayer Grant/research funds Consulting

Amer Suleman, MD  Private Practice

Amer Suleman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, American Institute of Stress, American Society of Hypertension, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Royal Society of Medicine, and Society of Cardiac Angiography and Interventions

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Joseph L Fredi, MD  Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Acute MI Program, Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Joseph L Fredi, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology and American College of Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgments

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author Susan Noe, MD to the development and writing of this article.

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Image is from a patient with malignant pericardial effusion. Note the "water-bottle" appearance of the cardiac silhouette in the anteroposterior (AP) chest film.
Echocardiogram (parasternal, long axis) of a patient with a moderate pericardial effusion.
This image is from a patient with malignant pericardial effusion. The effusion is seen as an echo-free region to the right of the left ventricle (LV).
This electrocardiogram (ECG) is from a patient with malignant pericardial effusion. The ECG shows diffuse low voltage, with a suggestion of electrical alternans in the precordial leads.
Subcostal view of an echocardiogram that shows a moderate-to-large amount of pericardial effusion.
This echocardiogram shows a large amount of pericardial effusion (identified by the white arrows).
 
 
 
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