title: Left atrial tamponade: diagnosis by transesophageal echocardiography.
abstract: A 60-year-old white man became hypotensive and dyspneic 3 days after right pneumonectomy for bronchogenic carcinoma. Transthoracic echocardiography was nondiagnostic because of technical difficulty. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a loculated posterior pericardial effusion with isolated diastolic left atrial collapse. The hemodynamic disturbance resolved after drainage of the effusion. Transesophageal echocardiography plays a valuable role in the diagnosis of postoperative cardiac tamponade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Torelli
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Marwick
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Salcedo
mesh_terms: D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D004947:Esophagus; D006325:Heart Atria; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000150:complications; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011183:Postoperative Complications