Pericardial Effusion

ECHONOMY Tools for Echocardiographic Calculations Muhamed Saric, MD, PhD New York University

Purpose
To roughly estimate the amount of pericardial effusion based on the diastolic thickness of a circumerential pericardial effusion.
Technical Hints
Chamber and wall thickness dimensions are obtained in a parasternal view at end diastole.
Calculator
RV Diameter:		cm
Interventricular Septum:		cm
LV Diameter:		cm
Posterior Wall:		cm
Pericardial Effusion Thickness:		cm

Answers
Volume of the Pericardial Sac:		ml
Volume of the Heart:		ml
Volume of Pericardial Effusion:		ml

Reference
Teichholz correction formula for the cube rule (Am J Cardiol 1976;37:7-11) was used for above volume calculations. Briefly, in the early days of M mode echocardiography, the volumes of cardiac chambers were calculated by cubing the chamber diameter (cube rule). That method overestimated the true volume; Teichholz method corrects for that overestimate. CUBE RULE >>>> V = D³ TEICHHOLZ >>>> *V = [7.0/(2.4 + D)] D³** where V = volume and D = diameter.

Purpose