Echocardiography in the diagnosis of pericardial effusion

Echocardiography is perhaps the most useful and accurate method of diagnosis of pericardial effusion. Its noninvasive nature and the ease with which it may be repeated make it doubly attractive. In the hands of a skilled echocardiographer, its accuracy is unequaled by other methods such as carbon dioxide injections, radionuclide angiography, and intra-atrial angiography. In addition, echocardiography as an aid to safe pericardiocentesis may become widely applicable.