Pericardial cyst

  • Rare congenital abnormality
  • Most common benign pericardial mass
  • Asymptomatic
  • Incidental finding on chest radiography
  • Thin, smooth walls, no internal septa, attached to pericardium directly or by a pedicle
Imaging
  • Round or oval in shape
  • Frequently at cardiophrenic angles, mainly right
  • Chest X-ray
    • Sharply demarcated mass, well circumscribed, abnormal prominence of cardiac border in right cardiophrenic angle
  • CT
    • Well defined mass with fluid density 
    • No enhancement on contrast
  • MRI
    • Low T1 signal (hyper intense if proteinaceous)
    • Homogeneously high T2
    • No enhancement on contrast
Read more

Klatte, Eugene C., and Heun Y. Yune. “Diagnosis and treatment of pericardial cysts.” Radiology 104.3 (1972): 541-544.

Feigin, David S., et al. “Pericardial cysts: a radiologic-pathologic correlation and review.” Radiology 125.1 (1977): 15-20.