title: Pneumopericardium: A Rare Complication of Pericardiocentesis.
abstract: Pneumopericardium is defined by the presence of air in the pericardial cavity. It is a rare entity occurring most commonly after trauma. Pneumopericardium resulting after pericardiocentesis is even rarer. We report a case of 46-year-old man, with end-stage renal disease on chronic hemodialysis and who developed a large circumferential pericardial effusion of 40 mm in diastole with swinging heart and diastolic right atrium collapse requiring pericardiocentesis. Few days after, the patient complained of pleuritic chest pain and echocardiogram revealed several tiny sparkling echogenic spots swirling in the pericardial sac. Computed tomography scans revealed a marked anterior pneumopericardium that was conservatively managed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Clinical Echocardiography Laboratory, Intercommunity Hospital of Southern Alps, Gap, France.
authors.forename: Slama
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iskander
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Clinical Echocardiography Laboratory, Intercommunity Hospital of Southern Alps, Gap, France.
authors.forename: Hidoud
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amar
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Clinical Echocardiography Laboratory, Intercommunity Hospital of Southern Alps, Gap, France.
authors.forename: Boudes
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Audrey
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Clinical Echocardiography Laboratory, Intercommunity Hospital of Southern Alps, Gap, France.
authors.forename: Devemy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fabien
keywords: Chest tomography; Pericardial effusion; Pericardiocentesis; Pneumopericardium