Pericardial disease
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199549573.003.11
Imaging the pericardium 294
Pericarditis 296
Pericardial effusion 298
Pericardial constriction 300
Pericardial cysts 302
Pericardial tumours 304
Congenital absence of the pericardium 306
The pericardium consists of a parietal and visceral layer, usually with a small amount of fluid in between (especially in the pericardial recesses, and in children and young adults). Variable amounts of fat may be present both on the surface of the heart (‘epicardial fat’) and on the pericardial surface (‘pericardial fat’). The thin pericardium is often not seen on CMR imaging, unless highlighted by surrounding fat, and the close proximity of fat, fluid, and fibrotic tissue within one voxel often causes a chemical shift artefact, resulting in complete absence of signal in these pixels. The pericardium may therefore appear as a thin black line....
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