CT Cardiac Pathologies - Video Lesson

Hey everybody, welcome back. This lesson is about some of the most common cardiac pathologies that we can see in CT. We'll discuss pathologies of the heart itself and the surrounding structures, including the great vessels branching from the heart. We'll start with pericardial effusion. Pericardial effusion is an abnormal fluid collection in the pericardial sac surrounding the heart. This abnormal fluid accumulation has many potential causes. It can be malignant, inflammatory, infectious, or idiopathic. Idiopathic means the cause is unknown. This is a potentially serious situation because the added pressure around the heart can interfere with cardiac output. It appears as a fluid collection encircling the heart. That's exactly what we see in this patient. There's a ring of fluid encircling the heart. The pericardial sac normally has a very small amount of fluid, but an excessive accumulation of fluid is not normal. The coronal view on the same patient demonstrates the same condition. This is