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...

BACKGROUND Pericardial effusion cytology is believed by many to be of limited value, yet few studies have evaluated its diagnostic utility. OBJECTIVES To determine the diagnostic utility of cytologic analysis of pericardial effusion in dogs and to determine if consideration of additional data could improve the diagnostic yield. ANIMALS Two hundred and fifty-nine dogs with cytologic analysis...

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...

Two cases of loculated pericardial effusion resulting in cardiac tamponade are presented. The loculated nature and extent of the effusion was best defined by two-dimensional echocardiography or B- mode ultrasonography. Cross-sectional images should probably be obtained in all cases of suspected loculated pericardial effusion and in patients in whom the interpretation of the M-mode echocardiogra...

An unusual case of a hypothyroid patient with huge pericardial effusion due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis is reported. Cardiac tamponade occurred during admission. Eight hundred milliliters of pericardial effusion was withdrawn by pericardiocentesis. Even after successful replacement of thyroid hormone, she had recurrent effusion two years later. Refractory pericardial effusion is a rare complicat...

T uberculous pericarditis continues to have a high incidence in developing countries. Despite effective antimicrobial treatment and improved public health in developed countries, there has been a recent surge in the incidence of both atypical and classical tuberculosis in immunocompromised patients, especially those infected with HIV. Only a few studies have been published describing the echoca...

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to determine the diagnostic value of 12-lead ECG for pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS Hospitalized patients with and without pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS In a blinded manner, we reviewed 12-lead ECGs from 136 patients with echocardiogra...

INTRODUCTION In general, pericardial diseases in small animal practice are rare, with pericardial effusion being the most commonly encountered pericardial disease. Septic pericarditis, although well recognised in cattle and humans, has rarely been reported in either the dog or cat. Septic pericarditis can result from pleural or pulmonary infections, secondary to trauma, or from haematogenous sp...

A 9-year-old male cat was presented for evaluation of chronic weight loss and was subsequently diagnosed with pericardial effusion. The effusion was quantified as a septic exudate caused by the anaerobic bacterium Peptostreptococcus. Antibiotic therapy resulted in complete resolution of the pericardial effusion. As Peptostreptococcus is a common oral bacterium and the cat had a previous dental ...

The study reviews the survival of patients with malignant pericardial effusion treated with a subxiphoid pericardial window. The medical records of 60 consecutive patients diagnosed with a malignant pericardial effusion and treated with a subxiphoid pericardial window between 1994 and 2008 were reviewed. 72% had lung cancer. Overall 30-day mortality was 31%. Survival rates at 3 months, 6 months...