IMPORTANT: We currently have a number of bugs related to image cropping and are actively trying to resolve them. In the meantime, we have disabled cropping. Apologies for any inconvenience. Stay informed: radiopaedia.org/chat

Pericardial effusion - large

Case contributed by Ian Bickle
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Cardiology patient with breathlessness.

Patient Data

Age: 70 years
Gender: Male

A large pericardial effusion measuring 4 cm in depth.

A saccular aneurysm of the aortic arch measuring 33 mm in diameter. Two smaller aortic diverticulae of the descending thoracic aorta.

No dissection. No intramural hematoma.

Small bilateral pleural effusions.

Case Discussion

A decent example of a large pericardial effusion. The appearance is sometimes described as being like the tasty biscuit called 'oreo'.

There are many causes of a pericardial effusion.

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.