Adherent pericardium / by John F. H. Broadbent.

  • Broadbent, John F. H. (John Francis Harpin), Sir, 1865-1946.
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Adherent pericardium / by John F. H. Broadbent. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    These phenomena, he says, are connected with the systolic retractions of the intercostal spaces, and are not present without them; this diastolic retraction, according to Friedreich, is not to be confounded with a venous pulse. With regard to the systolic retractions of the intercostal spaces to the left of the sternum, regarded as pathognomonic by Skoda, he has shown that they may occur in cases where there are no pericardial adhesions; this Traube has also confirmed. He has also noted that a diastolic shock may be felt in some cases where there is systolic retraction of the area of the apex beat; he further states, that in such cases the rebound of the chest wall produces a dull sound which may be heard on auscultation after the second sound of the heart; in this way the second sound seems split or doubled.* Sibson gives a short history of recent writers on adherent pericardium, and discusses fully the various physical signs and symptoms described by them; he further gives a full and very instructive account of several cases of adherent pericardium carefully ob- served by himself.j Wilks holds the view, that in persons of mature age, where severe heart symptoms are present without valvular murmurs, degeneration of the cardiac muscle must be inferred, but that in the young the same state of things points to pericardial adhesions. * N. Friedreich, 'Zur Diagnose der Herzbeutel Verwach- sung,' Virchow Arch. 29 Bd. 1864. t Reynolds «System of Med.,' vol. iv. p. 438, or vol. iv. of Sibson's Works,' ed. by Ord.