Diagnosing Pericarditis
Diagnosis of acute pericarditis requires 2 of these 4 pericarditis
diagnostic characteristics1:
- Pleuritic chest pain that is worse with inspiration and when supine
- Pericardial friction rub as heard through a stethoscope)
- Characteristic ST-segment elevation and PR depression on electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Pericardial effusion that is more than trivial
In addition to the established diagnostic criteria, these additional tests are suggested2:
- Serologic tests
- C-reactive protein (CRP) and/or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) to confirm inflammation2
- Imaging tests
- Computed tomography (CT) or cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to help assess the risk of developing complications that include pericardial tamponade or constrictive pericarditis2
- Pericardial delayed hyperenhancement (DHE) on CMR images to help improve the ability to diagnose ongoing recurrences and help provide insights into the duration and expected response to therapy in patients with an established history of recurrent pericarditis5,6
- Computed tomography (CT) or cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to help assess the risk of developing complications that include pericardial tamponade or constrictive pericarditis2