Pericardiocentesis

Pericardiocentesis is an established procedure for the management of large, symptomatic pericardial effusions and cardiac tamponade. The idea of decompressing the pericardium from volume overload was first described in 1653 when Riolanus suggested sternal trephination to relieve pericardial pressure. Centuries later in 1911, Marfan described a subxiphoid approach to evacuate pericardial effusion, which was used for decades. However, due to the high incidence of morbidity and mortality associated with the blind pericardiocentesis procedure and with the development of new technologies in medicine, different imaging modalities were introduced to guide nowadays this procedure. Among these new imaging tools, echocardiography (ECHO) established itself as the most commonly used modality.