Echocardiography in the diagnosis of pericardial effusion and tamponade
Schurtz, C.; Lesbre, J.P.; Kalisa, A.; Fardelonne, P.; Jarry, G.
La Semaine des Hopitaux Organe Fonde Par l'Association d'Enseignement Medical des Hopitaux de Paris 59(21): 1601-1605
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-1777 PMID: 6310772 Document Number: 214937
Fifty-seven patients who had presented pericardial effusions, compressive in ten cases, were subjected to M. mode echocardiography in order to identify specific signs of cardiac tamponade during major effusions. Certain criteria were of no diagnostic value: right and left ventricular diameter, mitral valve opening amplitude, and aortic diameter (p greater than 0.1). Apart from known hemodynamic and clinical signs, one must bear in mind two echographic signs that are specific for tamponade and disappear after drainage: protosystolic notching on the anterior wall of the right ventricle appearing 0.04 s after QRS, and a slope EF less than 50 mm/s.