As the heart matures, the epicardium undergoes a period of dormancy, functioning as a simple barrier between the myocardium and the pericardial cavity. However, recent studies in zebrafish and mice ...

The pericardium is a fibroelastic sac composed of two layers (visceral and parietal), separated by a virtual space called the pericardial cavity, which is filled with 15 to 50 mL of plasma ...

After absorption of the blood from the pericardial cavity, only the fibrosed “containment cyst” would remain, with a communication into the heart at the site of perforation.