[2-dimensional echocardiography in the evaluation of pericardial pathology: new prospects for its differential...

We examined retrospectively the M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiograms performed in our laboratory on 227 patients with pericardial diseases, in order to assess the capabilities and limits of echocardiography in this field. We observed 4 patients with congenital absence of the pericardium, 10 with of constrictive or infiltrative-adhesive pericarditis, 213 pericardial effusions, associated with left pleural effusion in 36 cases and with different kinds of intrapericardial masses in 33 cases. Through qualitative analysis of the echogenicity of such masses some aspects were singled out which may prove useful in identifying intrapericardial fat, as well as tumors. We also suggest new ways of using specific echocardiographic sections to differentiate left pleural effusions from pericardial effusions, and to identify very small pericardial effusions.