Echocardiography of serous effusions adjacent to the heart.

Abstract

Sonolucent spaces in close proximity to the heart are common in routine clinical echocardiographic practice, yet apart from pericardial effusions have received little attention. These clear spaces can represent left or right pleural effusions, ascites, pericardial cysts, or unusual diaphragmatic hernias. All these entities have typical echocardiographic features, including location, size, shape, and anatomic relationships to contiguous structures. In addition, loculated pericardial effusions, with or without associated tamponade, have to be considered in the differential diagnosis. In this brief review, we discuss and illustrate these various types of juxtacardiac sonolucencies.