Echocardiography in the diagnosis of pericarditis in patients with uremia

Uremic pericarditis occurred in 39 uremic patients who were treated in our program during a 4 yr period. The diagnosis was considered, but could not be established, in an additional 55 patients. A presumptive etiology remediable to a specific plan of treatment was identified in 9 patients who developed pericarditis following the initiation of dialysis. Uremic pericarditis occurring in patients who had yet been dialyzed, regularly responded to aggressive dialysis treatment. Echocardiography was the single, most important test to evaluate patients with suspected pericarditis. Limited pericardiectomy was safe and effective treatment in those patients not responding to conservative management.