Idiopathic chylopericardium. A case report from Saudi Arabia.

In this report, we discuss an initially asymptomatic patient with a pre-employment chest radiograph that revealed cardiomegaly. An echocardiogram revealed pericardial effusion. Medical workup was unable to determine secondary causes for effusion. Pericardiocentesis revealed milky-colored fluid with a high lymphocyte count, and a lymphoscintigraphy lymphangiogram revealed a leak into the pericardium and decreased flow through left iliac and left periaortic lymph nodes. Since the patient was asymptomatic, she was treated conservatively with diet changes, pericardial drainage, and a pericardial window procedure. This type of case risks being misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, especially in countries where tuberculosis is endemic. In such cases, assessing pericardial fluid for chyle is crucial. PMID: 32114604 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Saudi Medical Journal - Category: Middle East Health Tags: Saudi Med J Source Type: research