What Is Pericardial Effusion?
Article Sources
- 1. Colombo, A. et al. Etiology and prognostic implications of a large pericardial effusion in men. Clinical Cardiology vol. 11,6 (1988):389-94. doi: 10.1002/clc.4960110606.
- 2. Sagristà-Sauleds, Jaume et al. Diagnosis and management of pericardial effusion. World Journal of Cardiology vol. 3,5 (2011): 135-43. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v3.i5.135.
4. Diagnosis
The first step in diagnosing pericardial effusion is a physical exam, which includes listening to the heart for signs of the condition. If the doctor suspects the patient has the condition, imaging and blood tests are ordered to confirm the diagnosis and to determine potential causes. Often, however, the condition is discovered during an imaging test conducted for another reason.
A chest X-ray, echocardiogram and electrocardiogram are all tests that can help determine whether a patient has pericardial effusion and, if so, how severe it is. Blood tests are used to detect the presence of pathogens that cause infections and to look for potential autoimmune and metabolic system deficiencies.
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