Frequency of circumferential pericardial effusion by echocardiography in adults with foramen ovale type atrial septal defect versus ventricular septal defect.

Many published reports have described pericardial effusions in patients with secundum atrial septal defects. This study investigated their associated prevalence echocardiographically using 40 patients with isolated ventricular septal defects as controls in an adult patient population. Pericardial effusions accompanied atrial septal defects in 13 patients and ventricular septal defects in only 3 patients (p <0.0001). In conclusion, pericardial effusions are much more common (p <0.005) with uncomplicated secundum atrial septal defects than with uncomplicated ventricular septal defects.