Pericardial recess effusion

If there is crypt effusion in the pericardium, it means that the heart function is not good, or it is caused by some inflammatory reasons. If the effusion is relatively small, don't worry too much at this time. You can strengthen prevention through good care in daily life. The effusion may be slowly absorbed. However, if there is too much, it will have a greater impact on the function of the heart, so patients should undergo corresponding examinations in time to determine.

diagnosis

There is still a lack of precise and unified definition of this disease. Generally, patients are classified into this disease if they meet the following characteristics: ① there is a large amount of pericardial effusion, which has been confirmed by echocardiography; ② the amount of pericardial effusion remains basically stable during the observation period; ③ the pericardial effusion persists for at least 3 months; ④ the patient has been excluded from any systemic disease, regardless of whether the disease may be related to the pericardial effusion; ⑤ the systemic etiological examination is negative.

Clinically, the disease is usually diagnosed after routine chest X-ray examination reveals an enlarged cardiac shadow, and echocardiography, systemic examination, and etiological examination are performed to exclude specific lesions such as tuberculous pericarditis and rheumatic pericarditis.

examine

1. X-ray examination

The cardiac shadow generally expands to both sides (effusion is more than 300 ml); when there is a large amount of effusion (greater than 1000 ml), the cardiac shadow is flask-shaped, the superior vena cava shadow is widened, and the heart beats weakly under fluoroscopy. Clear lung fields can be distinguished from heart failure.

2. Electrocardiogram

Voltage alternation is often seen in patients with low voltage, tachycardia, and large amounts of effusion.

3. Echocardiography

M-mode ultrasound reveals fluid dark areas between the anterior cardiac wall and behind the posterior cardiac wall, that is, when the diastolic dark area between the pericardium and the epicardium is the largest (if it is 10 mm, the effusion is small; if it is between 10 and 19 mm, it is moderate; if it is greater than 20 mm, it is large).

4. Pericardiocentesis

It can confirm the presence of pericardial effusion and relieve symptoms of cardiac tamponade. A portion of the effusion is collected for laboratory testing to detect possible causes.

The disease is more common in women, and the age of onset is mostly menopause. Patients can usually carry out their daily activities without any discomfort. When symptoms occur, they are mostly shortness of breath and chest pain. Some patients experience pericardial obstruction symptoms in the early stages of the disease, which gradually subside or even disappear as the disease progresses.