Diagnosis

Your doctor will perform a physical exam, and listen to your heart with a stethoscope. If you have signs or symptoms of pericardial effusion, a series of blood and imaging tests will be done to confirm the diagnosis, identify possible causes and determine treatment.

Sometimes, pericardial effusion is discovered when tests are done for other reasons.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses sound waves to create real-time images of your heart. This test allows your doctor to see how much fluid has collected in the space between the two layers of the pericardium. An echocardiogram can also show how well your heart is pumping blood and help diagnosis tamponade or a collapse in one of the heart's chambers.

There are two types of echocardiograms:

• Transthoracic echocardiogram. This test uses a sound-emitting device (transducer) that is placed on your chest over your heart.
• Transesophageal echocardiogram. A tiny transducer on a tube is put down the part of your digestive tract that runs from your throat to your stomach (esophagus). Because the esophagus lies close to the heart, having the transducer placed there often provides a more detailed image of the heart.

Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram, also called an ECG or EKG, records electrical signals as they travel through your heart. Your cardiologist can look for patterns that suggest tamponade.

Chest X-ray

If you have a lot of fluid in the pericardium, a chest X-ray may show an enlarged heart.

Other imaging technologies

Computerized tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect pericardial effusion, although they're not generally used to look for it.