CARDIAC-TAMPONADE DUE TO PRIMARY PERICARDIAL LYMPHOMA IN A PATIENT WITH AIDS

Cardiac tamponade due to lymphomatous involvement of the heart is a dr amatic and unusual complication. Because of their nonspecific clinical presentation, these tumors are seldom diagnosed antemortem. We report the case of a patient with AIDS who presented with signs and symptoms of cardiac tamponade. Emergency pericardiocentesis followed by stagin g studies revealed large cell B-lymphocyte lymphoma confined to the pe ricardial space. With combination chemotherapy, a durable complete res ponse was obtained. This case illustrates the potential benefit of agg ressive treatment of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a patient wi th AIDS. The case is of particular interest because of the unusual dev elopment of isolated pericardial involvement as the sentinel sign of l ymphoma.