Idiopathic saccular aneurysm of the azygos vein

Single-port thoracoscopic removal of an azygos vein aneurysm: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Azygos vein aneurysms (AVAs) are extremely rare. The majority of patients have no obvious clinical symptoms, so they are found by physical examination or by chance. There is limited clinical treatment experience that can be referred to, and there are no clear guidelines or research evidence standardizing the surgical and interventional therapy. Here, we report a patient with idiopathic AVA whose three-dimensional reconstruction of the tumor was completed before surgery. On the basis of three-dimensional reconstruction, single-port thoracoscopic resection of the AVA was successfully completed and reported for the first time. The previously reported cases are summarized to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with AVAs.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 56-year-old man was transferred to our hospital due to "dysphagia". The diagnosis of AVA was made after enhanced computed tomography, gastroscopy, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, and three-dimensional reconstruction. Congenital weakness or degenerative changes causes the vein walls to be extremely thin that the AVA had the risk of ruptur. Furthermore, the patient had symptoms of dysphagia, he received single-port thoracoscopic surgery. After the operation, his dysphagia disappeared. The postoperative pathology confirmed hemangioma. The patient was discharged 3 days after surgery without any complications.

CONCLUSIONS

AVAs are rare. Preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction can greatly help surgeons clarify the disease diagnosis, formulate the surgical plan, avoid damage to the surrounding vital organs, and reduce intraoperative bleeding. Thoracoscopic surgery to remove AVAs is difficult and has a high risk of bleeding, while more minimally invasive single-port thoracoscopic surgery is also safe and effective for the treatment of AVAs.

Azygos Vein Aneurysm Mimicking a Mediastinal Mass

BACKGROUND/AIM

Azygos vein aneurysm (AVA) is a rare thoracic pathological entity that mimics a posterior mediastinal mass as well as a right paratracheal mass. Usually asymptomatic, AVA is often accidentally discovered during routine chest x-rays; however, depending on the aneurysm size and complications, some symptoms may be present. The aim of this paper is to report a case of idiopathic AVA and to discuss its aetiology, embryonic origin, symptoms, complications, diagnostic methods and treatments.

CASE REPORT

A 74-year-old female was investigated for diffuse thoracic pain and submitted to standard chest x-ray, which identified a right paratracheal, well-defined, homogenous opacity, considered to be part of the mediastinal shadow. The patient was further submitted to thoracic computed tomography, which confirmed the presence of a tumoral mass at the level of the right paratracheal area. The patient was submitted to surgery and the tumoral mass was resected; however, the tumor proved to be a completely thrombosed aneurism of the azygos vein arch.

CONCLUSION

AVA is a rare pathology that must be taken into consideration during the differential diagnosis of right postero-superior mediastinal masses.

Aneurysms of the azygos vein

OBJECTIVE

Azygos vein aneurysms (AVAs) are uncommon and infrequently diagnosed. When confronted with a patient presenting with an AVA, physicians can rely on only a few case reports after an extensive literature search. To date, no guideline, no rule, and no review on the optimal treatment strategy for these patients exist.

METHODS

A PubMed and MEDLINE database search for papers and case reports describing AVA was performed. Cases from our own institutions were also reviewed.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 57 published case reports that were reviewed for inclusion. Of those published cases, etiologic factors can be classified into idiopathic, acquired, and traumatic causes. Most AVAs are limited to the azygos arch, a congenital anatomic weak point. Clinical symptoms generally remain nonspecific. Computed or magnetic resonance tomography scans are effective diagnostic tools, although the optimal therapeutic plan remains unclear. Complications include rupture, thromboembolism, mediastinal mass effects, and pulmonary artery hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS

Conservative treatment along with oral anticoagulation may be reasonable for some AVAs, but to date, there is no clear guideline or evidence-based threshold for surgical or interventional therapy. In review of the existing data and from our clinical and scientific knowledge, interventional or surgical treatment should strongly be considered in cases with clinical symptoms, pulmonary embolism or pulmonary arterial hypertension, thrombus formation within the AVA in patients with oral anticoagulation or for patients with a contraindication to oral anticoagulants, considerable increase in diameter or compression of adjacent structures, saccular AVA, or an underlying connective tissue disease. The most common procedure is surgical ligation of the AVA, although endovascular occlusion of the aneurysms is becoming more frequent.