Citation

Ooi A, Douds AC, Kumar EB, Nashef SA. Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg. 2003; 24(6): 1043-1045.

Affiliation

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, UK. adrianooisw@yahoo.co.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

14643834

Abstract

A 65-year-old retired professional boxer presented with progressively worsening shortness of breath, peripheral oedema and mild abdominal swelling over a period of 6 months. His only past medical history was hypertension. Subsequent investigations revealed chylous ascites, pericardial constriction and bilateral chylothorax. He had uneventful pericardectomy, and post-operatively the chylothorax resolved only after administration of octreotide for 10 days. The histopathological features of fibrosis, haemosiderin deposition in the pericardium and abundant haemosiderin-laden macrophages are consistent with chronic resolving haemopericardium. These findings suggested that the cause of pericardial constriction was repeated chest trauma from boxing.

Language: en