Chylopericardium presenting as cardiac tamponade secondary to an anterior mediastinal cystic teratoma

Cardiac tamponade, the accumulation of fluid in the pericardial space, leads to impaired venous return, loss of left ventricular preload, and hemodynamic collapse. The many causes of tamponade include malignancy, infection, inflammation, connective tissue disorders, and uremia. Herein, we report the case of a young woman who presented with syncope. She was found to have cardiac tamponade secondary to a chylous pericardial effusion that was due to a mature and benign anterior mediastinal cystic teratoma. Numerous reports have described pericardial effusions secondary to an anterior mediastinal cystic teratoma; however, to our knowledge, this is the 1st case of a teratoma causing chylopericardium that presented as tamponade.     

Non-septicemic melioidosis presenting as cardiac tamponade

Melioidosis is endemic in Taiwan. It is caused by infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei. A prolonged course of oral eradication therapy to avoid relapse after an intensive intravenous therapy is recommended to treat melioidosis. Melioidosis with cardiac involvement is rare and is often combined with septicemia, for which the mortality rate is 20-60%. The initial clinical presentations of melioidosis mimic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, which is the most common etiology of bacterial pericarditis in Taiwan. We present a case of non-septicemic melioidosis that presented as non-suppurative cardiac tamponade and left subcarinal lymphadenopathy. Underlying diseases included hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient was successfully treated with 2 weeks of intravenous ceftazidime and 12 weeks of oral doxycycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and amoxicillin/clavulanate. Melioidosis-related pericarditis should be considered in the differential diagnoses of bacterial pericarditis in Taiwan.     

Extracardiac malignancy presenting as cardiac tamponade

Two cases of extracardiac malignancies presenting with cardiac tamponade are reported. One patient had adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung. Such a manifestation of this tumor has never been reported previously. The second patient had an adenocarcinoma and is the youngest case of carcinoma presenting with tamponade. The English literature has been reviewed.     

Malignant mediastinal schwannoma in Recklinghausen's disease presenting as cardiac tamponade. Report of two cases

The authors report two cases of Recklinghausen's disease admitted for cardiac tamponade. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed a pericardial tumour in addition to a compressive pericardial effusion. After pericardial drainage, the outcome was rapidly fatal. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a malignant intrapericardial schwannoma. A review of the literature revealed the scarcity of mediastinal malignant schwannoma. Associated with Von Reckinghausen's disease in 2 to 13% of cases, the prognosis is poor. The presentation of malignant mediastinal schwannoma with cardiac tamponade remains very rare.     

Malignant epithelial mesothelioma presenting as cardiac tamponade

A rare case of malignant mesothelioma of the mediastinal pleurawith mediastinal lymph nodes and pericardial involvement, presentingas cardiac tamponade, is presented.     

Right atrial mass presenting as cardiac tamponade

Intracavitary tumors such as angiosarcomas are prone to embolize, and occlude valves and vessels. Intramyocardial tumors cause cardiac failure and arrhythmias. Pericardial tumors cause effusions which result in tamponade. It is very rare that an intracavitary tumor presents itself with a cardiac tamponade. A 32-year old woman presented to the emergency room with palpitation and shortness of breath. Her physical examination revealed pulsus paradoxus and jugular venous distention. The transthoracic echocardiography showed normal left ventricular function, and an intracavitary right atrial mass. As the patients clinical status deteriorated an emergency operation was performed. The hemorrhagic pericardial fluid was cytologically positive for malignant cells. Histopathological findings were indicative of an angiosarcoma.     

Carbamazepine-induced systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as cardiac tamponade

Here we report the case of a patient who presented with acute cardiac tamponade due to drug-induced systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The patient had been treated for a seizure disorder with carbamazepine, a drug that has previously been demonstrated to cause SLE-like syndromes. Further serologic analysis demonstrated the likelihood of drug-induced SLE in this patient, with the rare presentation of cardiac tamponade.     

Invasive aspergillosis presenting as pericarditis and cardiac tamponade.

A 38-year-old leukemic patient developed pericarditis and cardiac tamponade due to Aspergillus niger one month after undergoing bone marrow transplantation. She failed to improve even though amphotericin B and rifampin therapy had been initiated before infection was evident. Her unique case illustrates both the unusual presentations of invasive aspergillosis and the difficulty of diagnosing and treating this increasingly common disease.     

Occult cardiac lymphoma presenting with cardiac tamponade

Subxiphoid pericardiostomy is the procedure of choice for treatment of a pericardial effusion with tamponade. We report a case in which this procedure not only failed to reveal the presence of an occult malignancy, but also resulted in a recurrent symptomatic effusion.     

Primary hepatic actinomycosis presenting as purulent pericarditis with cardiac tamponade

Cardiac tamponade constitutes an exceptional form of actinomycosis. We describe a case of primary hepatic actinomycosis presenting as purulent pericarditis with cardiac tamponade in a 20-year-old patient with previous esophagectomy and colonic interposition, successfully managed by computed tomography-guided percutaneous drainage and a prolonged course of antibiotic treatment. Actinomyces israelii was identified in the pericardial fluid by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The literature on the simultaneous presentation of cardiac and hepatic actinomycosis is reviewed.     

Primary pericardial fibrosarcoma presenting as "near" cardiac tamponade

A 19-year-old male presented with fever, substernal pain, dyspnea, and distended neck veins. Diagnostic investigations, such as echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, provided evidence of a large mass within the pericardial sac, attached by a broad base to the parietal pericardium and lying along the right ventricular free wall. A partial pericardiectomy was performed to relieve the patient's symptoms, and histologic examination of a biopsy specimen showed features of a malignant, spindle cell, mesenchymal neoplasm. The patient underwent surgical treatment during which the tumor was found to infiltrate the anterior surface of the right ventricle. Histologically, the tumor was identified as a high-grade fibrosarcoma, and additional chemotherapy was given.     

Benign mediastinal teratoma with intrapulmonary extension presenting with trichoptysis

Mature teratomas are the most common histological type of germ cell tumors, mediastinum being their most common extra-gonadal site of origin. On rare occasions, teratomas rupture or invade adjacent structures such as the pleural space, pericardium, lung or tracheobronchial tree. We report a case of a mediastinal teratoma with intrapulmonary extension, who presented with paroxysmal cough and trichoptysis. Coronal T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a mediastinal mass with heterogeneous signal intensities occupying left antero-superior mediastinum, with extension into the left upper lobe for which lobectomy, and total excision of the tumor and the thymus were performed.     

Systemic lupus erythematosus presenting with cardiac tamponade

A previously well 36 year old man presented with cardiac tamponade as the initial manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. This diagnosis should, therefore, be considered not only in cases of pericarditis but also in those of tamponade.     

Pericardial hydatid cyst presenting with cardiac tamponade

Cases of cardiac hydatid cyst disease are uncommon, occurring in approximately 0.5% to 2% of patients with hydatid disease. Most cardiac hydatid cysts are located in the left ventricle and interventricular septum. Cardiac involvement may have serious consequences. Both the disease and its surgical treatment carry a high complication rate, including rupture leading to cardiac tamponade, anaphylaxis and also death. In the present report, a 10-year-old girl with cardiac tamponade secondary to a pericardial hydatid cyst is described.     

Primary idiopathic chylopericardium presenting with cardiac tamponade

Primary idiopathic chylopericardium is an extremely rare condition especially in children and young adults. Although the exact pathophysiology of primary chylopericardium has not been established, the reflux of chylous fluid into the pericardial space was suggested as the etiology. Damage to the thoracic duct valves and the communication of the thoracic duct to the pericardial lymphatics or abnormally elevated pressure in the thoracic duct could cause chylous fluid reflux. In this report, we described the case of a 4-year-old boy with primary idiopathic chylopericardium presenting as cardiac tamponade who was treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic window and then surgical duct ligation.