Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment. 1053 



less than 1016, the content of albumen less than 3%. Other 

 changes are present which point to the underlying condition. 



Symptoms. Dropsy of the pericardium is always observed 

 in animals^ which have presented symptoms of the basic disease 

 for some time. Aside from these the most important symptoms 

 are an enlarged area of cardiac dullness of similar shape and 

 extension as in pericarditis with effusion, feeble and dull heart 

 sounds. If dropsy is present also in the thorax, the enlarged 

 area of cardiac dullness is in small animals easily determined 

 wdiile they are sitting or lying on the back, because then only 

 the dullness due to the fluid accumulated in the pericardial 

 cavity remains. 



Symptoms of stasis, respiratory disturbances, albuminuria, 

 feeble and small pulse beats also become evident, but these 

 symptoms are largely due to the basic condition itself which 

 indeed is of deciding influence upon the course and prognosis. 



Diagnosis. Dropsy of the pericardium differs from peri- 

 carditis with fluid exudate by the absence of acute sjmiptoms 

 (pain, fever) and of friction sounds, and by the presence of 

 manifestations of hydrops elsewhere. 



Treatment. As hydrops of the pericardium only represents 

 a phenomenon of other affections, the treatment must be adapted 

 to the nature of the underlying condition. It is sometimes 

 possible to diminish the pericardial fluid by the systematic 

 administration of diuretic and diaphoretic remedies and of 

 laxatives. If the accumulation of fluid is excessive punction 

 of the pericardium may be attempted. 



Accumulation of Blood in the Pericardium (Haemopericardium). 

 Hemorrhage into the pericardial cavity may occur from the cavities of 

 the heart, from the blood vessels of the heart muscle or from the larger 

 vessel trunks. As immediate causes of bleeding may be mentioned 

 trauma or spontaneous rupture of the heart, rupture of the dilated 

 coronary artery or of a large vessel trunk, especially of the aorta, if this 

 is dilated above the valves. Finally bleeding may occur exceptionally 

 in diseases with hemorrhagic diathesis. 



Hemopericardium can only he recognized with a certain degree of 

 probability in cases in which the bleeding is slow, because in rapid 

 hemorrhage death occurs as soon as in i/o-l hour. The diagnosis is 

 based upon the demonstration of fluid in the pericardium (p. 1042), 

 the symptoms of internal hemorrhage and the discovery of some disease 

 which is known to be able to lead to hemorrhage in the pericardium. 



3. Gas in the Pericardium. Pneumopericardium. 



Etiology. An accumulation of gas in the pericardium 

 occurs usually only in cattle, when a foreign body penetrating 

 into the pericardium from the reticulum has formed a canal 



