title: Pseudo cardiac tamponade in the setting of excess pericardial fat.
abstract: Cardiac tamponade is the phenomenon of hemodynamic compromise caused by a pericardial effusion. Following a myocardial infarction, the most common causes of pericardial fluid include early pericarditis, Dressler's syndrome, and hemopericardium secondary to a free wall rupture. On transthoracic echocardiography, pericardial fluid appears as an echo-free space in between the visceral and parietal layers of the pericardium. Pericardial fat has a similar appearance on echocardiography and it may be difficult to discern the two entities. We present a case of a post-MI patient demonstrating pseudo tamponade physiology in the setting of excessive pericardial fat.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiology, Department of Cardiac Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. thang_nguyen@shaw.ca
authors.forename: Thang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Kanwal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raabe
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zieroth
authors.forename: Davinder S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Jassal
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery