A 77-year-old man was admitted to our hospital at July 5th,2010 with an unexplained massive pericardial effusion for 10 years.With dyspnea for one month and normal vital signs without pulsus paradoxus,other physical examination included a small amount of moist rale,normal heart sounds,jugular vein engorgement,positive hepatojugular reflux,hepatosplenomegaly and pitting edema of the extremities.The patient had a complex past history with lymph node tuberculosis,primary artertial hypertension,polycythernia vera,chronic renal insufficiency and hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's thyroiditis),and moreover,received a high dose radiation of 31p in 1967. Family history is negative.The patient had no cardiac tamponade or pericardial constriction during 10 years,he received pericardiocentesis twice,and pericardial effusion was exudative with a high proportion of monocyte.There was no evidences of tuberculosis infection,hypothyroidism,malignant tumor,severe heart failure,uremia,trauma,severe bacterial or fungus infection,chronic myeloid leukemia or bone marrow fibrosis during the admission. The patient refused anti tuberculosis,indwelling catheter drainage or surgical therapy.In this rare case,the aetiology of chronic massive pericardial effusion is most probably chronic idiopathic recurrent pericarditis.