ABSTRACT
Pericarditis can occur as a life-threatening, fulminant condition or as an incidental finding of
pericardial fluid in an asymptomatic patient (1). In the acutely ill patient, prompt diagnosis is
lifesaving because decreased stroke volume associated with a large effusion (cardiac tampo-
nade) can compromise cardiac function and cause death. Pericarditis is an inflammation of
the pericardium and the proximal part of the great blood vessels. It can be associated with
an infection, or a systemic noninfectious disorder, or it can also result from local trauma, as in
postoperative pericarditis. Infection or noninfectious pericarditis can be the only manifestation
of a disease process or may be part of a multisystem disorder.
