title: Fatal cardiac tamponade due to coronary sinus thrombosis in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a case report.
abstract: We report a rare case of fatal cardiac tamponade attributed to coronary sinus thrombosis. An 83-year-old man was admitted to the hospital complaining of general fatigue. Laboratory examination revealed marked increase of atypical lymphoblastic cells in peripheral blood. CHOP therapy was started under the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The patient died, however, of sudden cardiac arrest in the initial course of the chemotherapy. Autopsy revealed cardiac tamponade with markedly dilated and congested coronary vein induced by coronary sinus thrombosis. A condition similar to leukemia-related venous thromboembolic disease, combined with endothelial damage induced by leukemic infiltration, may cause this rare complication.
authors.affiliation: Division of Diagnostic Molecular Pathology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan.
authors.forename: Sohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitazawa
authors.forename: Riko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kitazawa
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Toshimitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe