Pericardial Effusion MCQ Quiz | Cardiovascular

Welcome to this comprehensive MCQ quiz on Pericardial Effusion, specifically designed for MBBS students to test and enhance their understanding of this critical cardiovascular topic. This quiz covers the essential aspects of pericardial effusion, including its etiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic investigations, and management strategies. You will encounter questions on hallmark signs like Beck’s triad, pulsus paradoxus, and key investigatory findings from ECG, Chest X-ray, and Echocardiography. This assessment will challenge your knowledge of conditions ranging from idiopathic pericarditis to life-threatening cardiac tamponade. After completing the 25 questions, submit your answers to receive your score and a detailed review. You can also download all the questions with their correct answers in a PDF format for future revision.

1. What is the most common cause of pericardial effusion in developed countries?

2. Which of the following constitutes Beck’s triad for cardiac tamponade?

3. An ECG finding highly specific for a large pericardial effusion leading to cardiac tamponade is:

4. Which sign on a chest X-ray is characteristic of a large, chronic pericardial effusion?

5. What is considered the gold standard investigation for diagnosing and quantifying a pericardial effusion?

6. Pulsus paradoxus is best described as:

7. What is the minimum drop in systolic blood pressure during inspiration that defines pulsus paradoxus?

8. Ewart’s sign, an area of dullness to percussion at the angle of the left scapula in a large pericardial effusion, is caused by:

9. The primary pathophysiological mechanism of cardiac tamponade is the impairment of:

10. Among malignancies, which primary cancer is the most common cause of malignant pericardial effusion?

11. A patient with end-stage renal disease on dialysis develops a pericardial effusion. The pericardial fluid is most likely to be:

12. The most immediate and life-saving intervention for a patient with hemodynamic collapse due to cardiac tamponade is:

13. Dressler’s syndrome, a cause of pericarditis and pericardial effusion, typically occurs in which clinical setting?

14. Kussmaul’s sign (a paradoxical rise in JVP during inspiration) is a classic finding in which condition?

15. The “water-bottle” sign on a chest X-ray typically becomes apparent when the pericardial fluid volume exceeds:

16. The underlying mechanism for electrical alternans on an ECG in a large pericardial effusion is:

17. On an echocardiogram, which cardiac chamber is typically the first to show diastolic collapse in cardiac tamponade?

18. The most common site for needle insertion during a blind or ultrasound-guided pericardiocentesis is the:

19. Analysis of pericardial fluid reveals very high protein, low glucose, and high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). This biochemical profile is most suggestive of which etiology?

20. For recurrent pericardial effusions, especially malignant ones, a surgical procedure that creates a fistula from the pericardial space to the pleural cavity is known as a:

21. The normal pericardial space contains approximately how much serous fluid?

22. Which of the following drugs is a well-known cause of drug-induced lupus erythematosus, which can lead to pericarditis and effusion?

23. In the context of cardiac tamponade, what hemodynamic change is expected regarding intracardiac pressures?

24. The development of cardiac tamponade is most dependent on:

25. A patient presents with dyspnea, tachycardia, and pulsus paradoxus. Echocardiography shows a large pericardial effusion with right ventricular diastolic collapse. Which of the following treatments is contraindicated?