A case report of pneumopericardium secondary to suspected bronchopericardial fistula post lung resection: diagnosis and management guided by transthoracic echocardiography.

ABSTRACT: Pneumopericardium is a rare, life-threatening condition characterized by abnormal gas accumulation in the pericardial cavity, most commonly secondary to trauma, surgical procedures, or fistulous communications with adjacent hollow organs. We report a 59-year-old male patient who presented with chest pain. Initial transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) only detected minimal pericardial effusion, failing to identify pneumopericardium. Subsequent serial TTE monitoring progressively revealed pathognomonic signs of pneumopericardium, including microbubble swirl, air gap artifact, and a definitive fluid-gas level. Notably, the microbubble swirl sign is a typical marker for the early diagnosis of pneumopericardium, and its presence should raise an immediate suspicion of this condition. The diagnosi

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12833754 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature