Key result
A 3.5-year-old boy presented with a pericardial effusion, decreased activity, anorexia, and intermittent fever, with laboratory evaluation showing a hemoglobin of 10.6 g/dL and WBC of 10,800/μL.
Case Report (n=1)
No
This case report highlights cardiac lymphoma as a rare but important differential diagnosis for pericardial effusion in pediatric patients.
Cardiac lymphoma merits consideration in pediatric pericardial effusion; extends sparse case data but leaves open incidence and diagnostic algorithms.
A 31/2-year-old boy was transferred to Children's National Medical Center for evaluation of a pericardial effusion.He had initially presented with a 2week history of decreased activity, anorexia, and intermittent fever.Physical examination showed an alert, afebrile child with mild tachycardia and tachypnea.No cyanosis, bruising, or petechiae were present.There was no palpable lymphadenopathy.Auscultation of the lungs showed decreased breath sounds at the right lung base.Cardiac examination showed decreased heart sounds without a murmur, gallop, or rub.Abdominal examination showed a firm liver edge palpable 3 cm below the right costal margin.No splenomegaly was present.Laboratory evaluation showed a hemoglobin of 10.6 g/dL and white blood cell count of 10,8OO/pL with 59% segmented neutrophils, 2% bands, 25% lymphocytes, 13% monocytes, and 1% basophils.The platelet count was 218,00O/pL.
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Shafer et al. (1993) conducted a case report in Cardiac Lymphoma with Pericardial Effusion (n=1). A 3.5-year-old boy presented with a pericardial effusion, decreased activity, anorexia, and intermittent fever, with laboratory evaluation showing a hemoglobin of 10.6 g/dL and WBC of 10,800/μL.
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