This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on Web of Science (2)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Absence of Mediastinal Shift in the Presence of Unilateral Pleural Effusion

RICHARD T. BEEBE, M.D.; WILLIAM H. CONKLIN, M.D.

AMA Arch Intern Med. 1960;105(5):755-757.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

We are reporting six patients with constrictive pericarditis and mediastinitis who demonstrate clinical and radiological absence of mediastinal shift in the presence of unilateral pleural effusion. This obvious physical finding has undoubtedly been noted in some of the numerous reports of constrictive pericarditis. However, we have been unable to discover such reference in an extensive review of the literature. If this finding has been previously reported, it bears reemphasis.

The importance of an accurate diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis before irreversible myocardial, hepatic, and pulmonary complications have taken place has been well emphasized by Dalton,¹ White,² Schmeiden,³ Beck ^4,5 and others.

Tuberculosis is the most common etiological factor in this disease, being present in 5% to 20% of reported series,^6-12 while other infectious diseases account for an additional 5% to 10%. No definitive etiological factor is apparent in the remainder.

The usual symptomatology includes: weakness, dyspnea, orthopnea, abdominal enlargement, and, occasionally, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Albany, N.Y.

From the Department of Medicine, Albany Medical College and Albany Hospital, Albany, N.Y.

Footnotes
Submitted for publication July 20, 1959.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?