Chylothorax and chylopericardium are rare conditions occurring in infants and children. Both may be traumatic or nontraumatic in origin. We reviewed our experiences with the management of sixteen pediatric cases (10 males, 6 females; 11-days to 14-years old) of chylothorax and chylopericardium from 1997 to 2003. There were fifteen cases of chylothorax (9 left, 2 right, 4 bilateral) and two case...

Chylopericardium is a rare disease entity characterized by the accumulation of chylous fluid in the pericardial sac. It usually arises from mediastinal neoplasms, thrombosis of the subclavian vein, tuberculosis, nonsurgical trauma, thoracic or cardiac surgery. The spectrum of symptoms for chylopericardium varies from an incidental finding of cardiomegaly to dyspnea, upper abdominal discomfort, ...

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 chyloper...

Primary chylopericardium presented as radiographic cardiomegaly in an asymptomatic 19-year-old man. Normal findings at cardiac catheterisation and angiographic demonstration of cardiac displacement from the diaphragm suggested a collection of fluid below the heart which was confirmed by M and B mode ultrasound scanning. Thoracic blood pool isotope scanning indicated that the lumen was a pericar...

Chylous pericardial effusion may occur after cardiothoracic surgery or in association with congenital lymphangiomatosis. Other causes may include chest trauma, mediastinal radiation, malignant neoplasm of the mediastinum or thrombosis of the subclavian vein and superior vena cava [1]. Idiopathic chylopericardium has also been described, most commonly in children and young adults [1]. Cardiac ta...

BACKGROUND Primary idiopathic chylopericardium is a rare clinical entity characterized by the accumulation of chyle within the pericardial cavity without a definitive cause. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical presentation, etiology, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of primary idiopathic chylopericardium. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 9 cases of patients who suffered from...