[Pericardial effusions as the initial manifestation of extracardiac tumors. A discussion of 2 cases and a review of the literature].
The authors describe two cases of cardiac tamponade that were the first manifestation of an extracardiac tumor; they stress that this type of presentation described in the literature as an extremely rare occurrence, has become more frequent in recent years as a result of both a higher prevalence in absolute terms and of a more reliable detection thanks to the availability of more sensitive and more practicable diagnostic techniques. Having briefly described the pathophysiology of pericardial effusions with special reference to those of neoplastic origin, the authors detail the most sensitive tools for a correct diagnosis.