In this article, we will discuss the Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain. So, let’s get started.
Differential Diagnosis
Cardiac chest pain may radiate to other sites:
- Mandible (left side of jaw)
- Chin
- Left Shoulder
- Retrosternal radiating to the left arm (common site of origin and radiation)
- Epigastric region
- Right arm
- Interscapular back pain
Based on radiation to these sites following are the differential diagnosis of chest pain:
Retrosternal
- Myocardial ischemia
- Esophageal pain
- Pericarditis
- Aortic dissection
- Mediastinitis
- Pulmonary embolus
Interscapular
- Myocardial ischemia
- Musculoskeletal Pain
- Gallbladder or pancreatic pain
Right lower anterior chest
- Gallbladder disease
- Hepatic pain (abscess, hepatitis)
- Subdiaphragmatic disease/abscess
- Pneumonia/pleurisy
- Gastric duodenal ulcer
- Pulmonary embolism
- Trauma
- Myalgia
Shoulder pain
- Myocardial ischemia
- Pericarditis, Periarthritis
- Cervical disc disease
- Myalgic pain
- Subdiaphragmatic abscess/pleurisy
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
Arms
- Myocardial ischemia
- Cervical/dorsal spinal pain
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
Left lower anterior chest pain
- Neuralgia (intercostal)
- Pulmonary embolism
- Myalgia
- Pneumonia/pleurisy
- Splenic infarct
- Subdiaphragmatic disease/abscess
Epigastric
- Myocardial ischemia
- Esophageal, gastric and duodenal pain
- Pericarditis
- Gallbladder, liver and pancreatic disease
- Diaphragmatic pleurisy