Isolated Chylopericardium after Mitral Valve Replacement: the First Description of Adult Heart Disease in Korea

Abstract

Isolated chylopericardium as a complication of cardiac surgery is very rare. Two cases of chylopericardium have been previously reported in Korea; both patients suffered from chylopericardium after a corrective cardiac surgery for a congenital heart disease such as atrial or ventricular septal defect. We report a case of chylopericardium in a 55-year-old mitral valve replacement patient. The reason for chylopericardium was unclear, but it might have been related with the damaged lymph nodes and blunt dissection of the thymus. While most chylopericardium cases require surgical intervention, we managed this chylopericardium case with a low-fat diet for 3 days.

Keywords

• chylopericardium
• chylothorax
• complications
• mitral valve
• pericardial effusion