Evaluation of pericardial effusion

Last reviewed: 1 Apr 2025
Last updated: 16 Jul 2024

Summary

Differentials

Common

  • Malignancy
  • Viral pericarditis
  • Iatrogenic
  • Idiopathic
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Uremia
Full details

Uncommon

  • Bacterial pericarditis
  • Tuberculous pericarditis
  • Fungal pericarditis
  • Chagas disease
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Post-myocardial infarction syndrome (Dressler phenomenon)
  • Drug-induced
  • Cardiac amyloidosis
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
  • Aortic dissection
  • Trauma
  • Radiation exposure
Full details

Contributors

Authors

Edgar Argulian, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor

Department of Cardiology

Mount Sinai St Luke's Hospital

New York

NY

Disclosures

EA is an author of one of the references cited in this topic. EA declares that he has no competing interests.

Birgit Vogel, MD

Cardiovascular Imaging Fellow

Mount Sinai St Luke's Hospital

New York

NY

Disclosures

BV declares that she has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Dr Edgar Argulian and Dr Birgit Vogel would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Rajdeep Khattar, Dr David Liff, and Dr Vasilis Babaliaros, the previous contributors to this topic, and Dr Oliver Ziff for his assistance with this topic.

Disclosures

RK, DL, VB, and OZ declare that they have no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Stephen Archer, MD

Professor of Medicine

Section of Cardiology

Department of Medicine

University of Chicago

Division of Biological Science

Chicago

IL

Disclosures

SA declares that he has no competing interests.

Shrilla Banerjee, MBChB, MD, MRCP

Consultant Cardiologist

East Surrey Hospital

Surrey and Sussex NHS Healthcare Trust

Redhill

Surrey

Heart Hospital

University College London Hospitals NHS Trust

London

UK

Disclosures

SB declares that she has no competing interests.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

Adler Y, Charron P, Imazio M, et al. 2015 ESC guidelines on the diagnosis and management of pericardial diseases. Eur Heart J. 2015;36:2921-64.Full text  Abstract

Klein AL, Abbara S, Agler DA, et al. American Society of Echocardiography clinical recommendations for multimodality cardiovascular imaging of patients with pericardial disease: endorsed by the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2013 Sep;26(9):965-1012.e15.Full text  Abstract

Isselbacher EM, Preventza O, Black JH 3rd, et al. 2022 ACC/AHA guideline for the diagnosis and management of aortic disease: a report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on clinical practice guidelines. Circulation. 2022 Nov 2 [Epub ahead of print].Full text  Abstract

Reference articles

A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.

Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer