title: Surgical management of pericardial tamponade as a presenting manifestation of acute leukemia.
abstract: Two patients with acute leukemia presented with symptomatic acute pericarditis and rapidly developed cardiac tamponade. Conservative management was not possible in either patient due to mechanical problems with fluid removal. Thoracotomy with pericardial decompression resulted in permanent relief of symptoms in both cases. Management of cardiac tamponade in acute leukemia by surgical decompression even in severely immunocompromised hosts is a feasible alternative and should be considered when more conservative measures fail or are not possible.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000166:cytology