Dialysate leakage into pericardium in an infant on long-term peritoneal dialysis

Abstract

We report on a 2-year-old boy on automated peritoneal dialysis (PD) with a history of multiple hernias and dialysate leaks who developed pericardial effusion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a peritoneo-pericardial fistula. Dialysis had to be discontinued, since head-down tilt reproducibly induced significant hypotension. In PD patients with pericardial effusion a peritoneo-pericardial leak should be considered.