[Pericarditis as the presenting manifestation of acute monoblastic leukemia-Report of a case and review of the literature (author's transl)].

A case of acute monoblastic leukemia in a 68-year-old man is reported in which one of the presenting manifestations was a pericardial effusion. A blood-stained fluid was removed from the pericardium. The pericardial fluid showed blast cells on microscopical examination. The patient was treated with 6-Mercaptopurine and Methotrexate and achieved a short partial remission. He died of general infection, 4 months after the start of his illness. We found in the medical literature 30 additional cases with a mean age of 24 +/- 16 years and a striking male predominance (68. p. 100). We found 15 acute lymphoid leukemias, 9 acute myeloid leukemias, 4 acute indifferentiated leukemias, and 2 acute nontyped leukemias. The leukemic pericardial involvement is often associated with splenomegaly, adenopathy and pleural effusion. The management procedures include pericardiocentesis, general of local chemotherapy, irradiation of the cardiac area. The prognosis is generally poor, with a mean survival of 5 months.