title: Pericardial effusion masquerading as an aortic dissection.
abstract: A 24-year-old woman with a history of recurrent syncope underwent an echocardiogram that was suspicious for an ascending aortic dissection. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed which showed no evidence of aortic dissection. However, it did demonstrate a pericardial effusion that extended to the aortic arch. This case shows how pericardial effusions can simulate the appearance of an aortic dissection because of its extension to the aortic arch.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Moneal.Shah@gmail.com
authors.forename: Moneal B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Robert W W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Biederman
mesh_terms: D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult