[Cardiac tamponade in severe hypothyroidism. A rare cause]

Pericardial effusion frequently occurs in patients with hypothyroidism, and this fully justifies the use of echocardiography at the time of diagnosis and during the follow-up of hypothyroidism. Signs indicating that the pericardial effusion is poorly tolerated are rare, and the development of pericardial tamponade is exceptionally reported. A case of tamponade in an elderly woman with severe hypothyroidism is described here. Some physiopathological particularities are emphasized, together with the value of echocardiography for the diagnosis and that of pericardial drainage for the treatment.