title: Percutaneous treatment of idiopathic chylopericardium.
abstract: Chylopericardium is a rare disease that may result from a variety of causes, such as cardiac surgery, trauma, obstruction of the thoracic duct near its drainage into the subclavian vein, or have no identifiable underlying cause. The present report describes a case of idiopathic chylopericardium in which percutaneous transabdominal occlusion of the thoracic duct was performed as an alternative to surgical duct ligation. The procedure was successful, resulting in a decrease in pericardial fluid accumulation. However, it failed to cure the patient, as constrictive pericarditis developed 2 months later, requiring surgical pericardectomy. Whether this could have been avoided by early (percutaneous) pericardial fenestration is unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. schild@uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: Hans H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Schild
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Christiane K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Kuhl
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nelles
authors.forename: Reiner
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koerfer
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Skowasch
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuntz-Hehner
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haude
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome