Pleural Effusions and Pericarditis: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Patients Undergoing Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background Pleural effusions can occur due to acute pericarditis and can necessitate intervention. We sought to add to the evidence base by performing a retrospective review of patients presenting to the advanced cardiac imaging unit with pericarditis and pleural effusion to determine laterality, trends in pleural fluid analyses, and the need for pleural intervention. Local ethical (Caldicott) approval was obtained for this study. Methodology Descriptive statistical methodology was applied with continuous data presented as mean (standard deviation, SD; range) and categorical variables as frequencies or percentages. Results In 60 patients with pericarditis, 24 (39%) had pleural effusions on contemporaneous imaging. The mean age of the study population was 63.3 years (range: 20-83), and 17 patients were males. Diagnoses were viral (five), rheumatological (one), amyloidosis (one), listeria (one), and the rest idiopathic (17). Four effusions were only left-sided, one right-sided, and 20 bilateral. Ten pleural taps were performed, one for a unilateral effusion and nine for one side being bigger than the other. The mean pH was 7.46 (7.33-7.6), mean lactate dehydrogenase was 210 (74-393 U/L), mean fluid protein was 36.1 (19-56 g/L) (four effusions exudative/three transudative), mean glucose was 5.8 (4.8-6.8 mmol/L), and all cytologies were negative. Five patients underwent large volume aspirations for symptom control. Three indwelling pleural catheters (IPC) were placed for treatment refractory effusions. There was one pleural space infection in six months related to an IPC. There were three deaths at 12 months, with none related to pericarditis. Conclusions Pleural effusions associated with pericarditis are usually small, bilateral, and exudative. Treatment refractory cases require pleural intervention, with aspirations, drains, and IPCs being viable options. Further prospective studies are warranted.