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Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
06:29

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques

Published on: June 11, 2019

Unusual presentation of purulent pericarditis: diagnostic contribution of MRI

Sameet K Rao1, Zenon Protopapas, Holenarasipur R Vikram

  • 1Department of Radiology, Hospital of St. Raphael, 1450 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. srao@srhs.org

Emergency Radiology
|August 4, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Purulent bacterial pericarditis can mimic tumors, presenting as a mass. Advanced imaging like CT and MRI are crucial for accurate diagnosis in these rare cases.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Radiology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Purulent bacterial pericarditis is a rare infectious pericarditis subtype.
  • It typically affects immunocompromised individuals.
  • Rarely, it presents as a nodular or tumefactive lesion, mimicking tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the imaging features of mass-like purulent pericarditis.
  • To highlight the diagnostic utility of CT and MRI in differentiating it from tumors.

Main Methods:

  • Case report of a 68-year-old woman.
  • Utilized computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluation.

Main Results:

  • Imaging revealed features consistent with mass-like purulent pericarditis.
  • CT and MRI provided essential information for diagnosis.

Conclusions:

  • Mass-like purulent pericarditis is a rare entity that can be mistaken for neoplastic disease.
  • CT and MRI play a vital role in the accurate diagnosis and management of this condition.

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