Detection of Pericardial Effusion by Radioisotope Heart Scanning

A marked difference between the cardiac silhouette on the six-foot chest roentgenogram and the cardiac blood pool, determined by radioisotope scanning, has been shown to be consistent with pericardial effusion and/or thickening. It has also been observed that the cardiac blood pool is separated from the liver margin by the interposition of pericardial fluid and/or thickening. This separation was not demonstrated in the presence of a normal pericardium. To appreciate these features, 400 μc. of radioiodinated human serum albumin and 50 μc. of colloidal radiogold were used for scanning. The former outlind the blood pool and the latter demonstrated the position of the liver.