[Non-invasive diagnosis of isolated chylopericardium using precordial pericardial imaging after oral administration of 131I-triolein: report of a case].

Chylopericardium is a rare disease and affects both sexes equally from neonate to adult. Usually, there are abnormal connections between the pericardial cavity and thoracic lymphatic systems. These connections are detected by (1) recovery of orally administered Sudan III from pericardial fluid, (2) evidence of radioactivity in the pericardial fluid by paracentesis after oral administration of 131I-labeled triolein, and (3) lymphangiography. However, these method are technically difficult and invasive, thus sometimes dangerous for children. We employed precordial pericardial imaging after oral administration of 131I-labeled triolein on a 9-year-old Japanese girl with isolated chylopericardium before and after surgery. Abnormal connections and the back-ward flow to the pulmonary lymphatics were demonstrated by this method. This is an easy, non-invasive, reliable and safe method for detecting the abnormal connections of pericardial and lymphatic systems in children with chylopericardium.