Cardiac tamponade in rheumatoid arthritis. Successful treatment with intrapericardial steroid administration

Cardiac tamponade complicated by classic rheumatoid arthritis was markedly alleviated by pericardiocentesis and intrapericardial administration of steroid. For the following 2 years, no recurrence of cardiac tamponade or constrictive pericarditis was observed. According to the literature, only one other patient with cardiac tamponade complicating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had been successfully treated patient by intrapericardial steroid administration.