Tuberculosis has been increasing in incidence in recent years. Pericardial
involvement and pericardial effusions are well-documented and may result in
pericardial tamponade. Despite this, large pericardial effusions are uncom
mon, and manifestation as cardiac tamponade is rare. We report two cases of
tuberculous pericarditis in which the initial feature was tamponade. Since
the diagnosis of tuberculosis may be delayed due to the slow-growing natur
e of the bacterium, physicians need to be aware of this possibility and con
sider the use of modern diagnostic techniques that may permit an earlier di
agnosis,