title: Cardiac tamponade complicating leukaemia: immediate chemotherapy or pericardiocentesis?
abstract: Although leukaemic infiltration of the pericardium is frequently observed at post-mortem, clinically evident cardiac tamponade is rare. Two cases of cardiac tamponade complicating leukaemia are presented. One patient had cardiac tamponade as the initial presentation of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and experienced complete resolution of the pericardial effusion within 6 days after chemotherapy without therapeutic pericardiocentesis. The other patient with chronic myeloid leukaemia developed cardiac tamponade requiring pericardiocentesis as the first sign of acute blastic transformation. The roles of early chemotherapy and pericardiocentesis in managing this complication are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001752:Blast Crisis / Q000473:pathology; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D004322:Drainage; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011677:Punctures; D012008:Recurrence