Pericardial Effusion in Sudanese Patients Presented to Shaab Teaching Hospital: Clinical Pattern and Etiology

This is a prospective study of 51 patients with pericardial effusion, with male to female ratio of 1.3:1, wide range of age (4 to 80 years), and mean age 34.2± 17.2. Most of the patients presented with S.O.B., cough and chest pain. General symptoms of fever, fatigability, and abdominal pain, were also noticed. The diagnosis was obvious clinically, by increased cardiac dullness and muffled heart sounds in the vast majority of patients. Chest roentgenogram and echocardiograph are the mainstay of the diagnosis. Pericardiocentesis was done for 35 patients . Tuberculosis was found to be the commonest, but not the only, cause. Followed by malignancy, rheumatological and idiopathic in order of sequence. Specific echocardiographic findings, i.e. shaggy pericardium and fibrinous strands, suggesting the likelihood of tuberculosis were noticed . Other echocardiographic finding and morphological features of aspirated fluid have no predilection to a specific etiology