Left atrial tamponade: diagnosis by transesophageal echocardiography.
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.
Torelli
J
J
Department of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195.
Marwick
T H
TH
Salcedo
E E
EE
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