Author: Christian Loewe, Vienna, Austria
Body Region: Cardiovascular
1. Patient Presentation
- A 73-year-old male patient was referred to the hospital because of severe dorsal chest pain with reported onset a few hours earlier.
- Upon admission, the patient was hypertensive but in stable circulatory condition, and experiencing severe chest pain that could not be controlled pharmacologically.
- The ECG and initial laboratory values were nonspecific, showing no signs of acute myocardial infarction.
- Echocardiography revealed a substantial pericardial effusion with increased echogenicity, highly suspicious for hemopericardium.
- Consequently, owing to the patient’s symptoms and condition, an urgent CT angiography was performed for suspected acute aortic syndrome.

