Cardiology: Pericardial Diseases Flashcards
Describe the anatomy of the pericardium
Outer- fibrous pericardium:
* tough sac that continues with the adventia of the great vessels dorsally, with the sternopericardial ligament ventrally
Inner- serous pericardium:
* contains two laters with pericardial fluid between them- a thin layer of mesothelial cells is present
* Parietal layer- inner surface of fibrous pericardium
* Visceral layer: froms the epicardium
What innervates the pericardium?
- Vagus nerve
- Laryngeal recurrent nerve
- Sympathetic nerve fibres
- Phrenic nerves
What supplies blood to the pericardium?
- Aorta
- Internal thoracic artery
- Musculophrenic arteries
Cardiac, mediastinal and pre-sternal LNs recieve lymphatic draining
What are the functions of the pericardium?
- Contains fluid for lubrication
- Prevention of overdilation
- Systolic function
- Protection from infection
- Maintain heart in fixed position
- Co-ordinates function between LV and RV
How are pericardial diseases classified?
Congenital or Acquired
- What are the three congenital pericardial diseases?
- What are aquired diseases?
- Pericardioperitoneal diaphragmatic hernia, Intrapericardial cyst
pericardial defect - Pericardial effusion or constrictive pericarditis
What are the three types of pericardial effusions and what diseases can cause each?
Haemorrhagic:
* Idiopathic
* Neoplasia
* Coagulopathy
* Rupture of LA
* Trauma
Transudate:
* CHF
* Hypoproteinaemia
* Neoplasia
* PPDH
* Renal failure
Exudate:
* FIP
* Infection
* Foreign body
What is the most common pericardial disorder?
Pericardial effusion
Most common- idiopathic or neoplasia
- What types of dogs more commonly develop pericardial effusion?
- When is it frequently found in cats?
- What other casues are there?
- Older, large breed dogs
- Cats with CHF, FIP
- Lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, bacterial pericarditis, coccidiomycocis, aspergillus, coagulation disorder, uraemia
- How is idiopathic PE diagnosed?
- What breeds are more affected?
- How can it be treated?
- Exclusion diagnosis
- Older, larger breeds- GR, Saint B, Lab, New FL
- May require pericardiectomy if recurrencte (3rd)
What neoplasias can cause pericardial effusions?
- Haemangiosarcoma
- Chemodectoma
- Mesothelioma
- Lymphoma
- Ectopic thyroid carcinoma
- Rhadomyosarcoma
- What breed is predisposed to haemangiosarcoma PE?
- Where is the mass usually associated?
- What should be checked?
- How can it be treated?
- Older dogs, especially GSD and golden retriever
- RA or right auricular appendage
- effusion PCV- actively bleeding
- Grave prognosis- pericardiocentesis/ectomy/ balloon pericardiotomy palliative, chemo (MST 6months)
- What breeds are predisposed to chemodectoma?
- What type of neoplasm is it?
- Older especially brachs dogs
- Benign- locally invasive, low metastasis
Palliation with pericardiectomy prolonged survival with good quality of life
- How can mesothelioma PE be diagnosed?
- How can it be treated?
- difficult- usually requires pericardial biopsy
- Difficult- intracavitary cisplatin, IV doxorubicin- poor prognosis
Explain the following signs of chronic effusion
* Cardiac tamponade
* Right congestive heat failure signs
* Left ventricle compression
* Pulsus paradoxus
- Effusion decreases stroke volume
- Activates RAAS and sympathetic
- Peripheral vasoconstriction, increased HR and fluid retention
- Compression on right side causes right atrial cardiac tamponade (collapse)
- Venous return compromised- systemic venous pressures- RCHF
- Greater filling of the right ventricle during inspiration- deviation of the IVS toward LV- compresses LV
- Pulsus paradoxus- no/reduced pulse during inspiration