Chest

Pericarditis

Specific Anatomic Region

Chest

Application

Pericarditis

Author

Fishman EK

Reference Source

Personal communication

Scanner Used

Siemens Somatom Plus 4

Injection Rate

N/A

Contrast Volume and Type

Usually none needed

Area Scanned

From aortic arch through the base of the heart

Scan Delay

None

Length of Spiral (time)

20-25sec

Slice Thickness

5mm

Table Speed/Pitch

5mm/sec or a pitch of 1

Reconstruction Interval

3mm

3D Technique Used

Not needed

Comment: The key finding is pericardial calcification, thickening and/or fluid which can be seen well on noncontrast studies. Subsecond scanning is ideal in these cases.