Successful surgical intervention for delayed chylopericardial tamponade following aortic valve replacement: a case report

Chylopericardium is one of the rarest complications of cardiac surgery. It is related to direct or indirect injury to the thoracic duct or its tributaries and can result in serious morbidity or even death. A 77-year-old Japanese woman who had severe aortic stenosis underwent routine aortic valve replacement. At 15 days after surgery, she developed cardiac tamponade, which was caused by chylopericardium. She was successfully treated by direct clipping of a thoracic duct tributary and mass ligation of the thymus. This rare condition needs to be kept in mind as a possible cause of postoperative cardiac tamponade.