Milk of calcium pericardial effusion confirmed with postmortem computed tomography and autopsy findings: A case report

• Published in: Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Vol. 49; p. 101837
• Main Authors: Ninomiya, Kenji, Yamashiro, Tsuneo, Fukasawa, Maki, Kawakami, Yuka, Ikematsu, Natsuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01.03.2021
• Subjects: Autopsy; Milk of calcium; Pericarditis; Postmortem radiology; Pericarditis; Postmortem radiology; Autopsy; Milk of calcium
• ISSN: 1344-6223; 1873-4162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2021.101837

[Display omitted] •Milk of calcium pericardial effusion is a rare and fatal condition.•Computed tomography (CT) imaging can reveal milk of calcium pericardial effusion.•Dense pericardial effusion with epicardial calcification is the CT finding. We present the postmortem computed tomography and autopsy findings of a 60-year-old man who developed milk of calcium pericardial effusion and died of constrictive epicarditis. He experienced out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest, and spontaneous circulation returned at the hospital. However, 7 h after recovery, the patient died. He had a swollen neck, had been experiencing coughing from 4 to 5 days earlier, and had no significant medical or surgical history. On computed tomography (CT), highly dense pericardial fluid (CT value: 130–150 Hounsfield units) and multiple calcifications along the epicardium and pericardium were visualized. The epicardium and pericardium were thick, hard, rough, and widely calcified with mild adhesions on autopsy. The pericardial cavity contained a pale, reddish brown, turbid, and highly viscous liquid. Bacteriological tests of pericardial fluid cultures revealed the presence of group G β-hemolytic streptococci. Hence, we diagnosed the patient’s cause of death as heart failure due to constrictive epicarditis. We believe that this case of milk of calcium pericardial effusion is the first case confirmed with postmortem CT and autopsy findings.