Case Report: An azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography
BackgroundAzygos vein aneurysm (AVA) is a rare thoracic pathology that is frequently misdiagnosed. While contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can delineate AVA location and size, these techniques lack the capability for dynamic real-time assessment of...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Oncology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1516064/full |
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| author | Xueyan Guo Yuanhang Xu Yanfei Cao Yan Jin |
| author_facet | Xueyan Guo Yuanhang Xu Yanfei Cao Yan Jin |
| author_sort | Xueyan Guo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAzygos vein aneurysm (AVA) is a rare thoracic pathology that is frequently misdiagnosed. While contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can delineate AVA location and size, these techniques lack the capability for dynamic real-time assessment of internal architecture.Case presentationWe present a highly unusual case of a 67-year-old woman who had an isolated azygos vein aneurysm presenting with dysphagia. The mass was first found by a chest X-ray. Subsequent contrast-enhanced chest CT revealed a 3.5 × 3.74 × 1.4 cm soft-tissue mass in the posterior mediastinum, suggestive of a lymph node. In contrast, esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) demonstrated intact esophageal mucosa with extrinsic stenosis. The dynamic observation through EUS displayed that the mass was not a lymph node but a solitary cystic lesion with no internal blood flow, and there was no communication between the posterior azygos vein and the aorta. We considered that the dysphagia was caused by the cystic lesion. Thoracoscopic surgery was finally performed, which confirmed the mass as an AVA through pathological analysis.ConclusionsEUS is one of the most effective and vital tools for the preoperative evaluation of AVA. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e427d861bdb14bb998560f80b1f63475 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2234-943X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Oncology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e427d861bdb14bb998560f80b1f634752025-08-22T04:10:40ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oncology2234-943X2025-08-011510.3389/fonc.2025.15160641516064Case Report: An azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonographyXueyan Guo0Yuanhang Xu1Yanfei Cao2Yan Jin3Department of Gastroenterology, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an, ChinaDepartment of Gastroenterology, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an, ChinaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an, ChinaDepartment of Gastroenterology, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an, ChinaBackgroundAzygos vein aneurysm (AVA) is a rare thoracic pathology that is frequently misdiagnosed. While contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can delineate AVA location and size, these techniques lack the capability for dynamic real-time assessment of internal architecture.Case presentationWe present a highly unusual case of a 67-year-old woman who had an isolated azygos vein aneurysm presenting with dysphagia. The mass was first found by a chest X-ray. Subsequent contrast-enhanced chest CT revealed a 3.5 × 3.74 × 1.4 cm soft-tissue mass in the posterior mediastinum, suggestive of a lymph node. In contrast, esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) demonstrated intact esophageal mucosa with extrinsic stenosis. The dynamic observation through EUS displayed that the mass was not a lymph node but a solitary cystic lesion with no internal blood flow, and there was no communication between the posterior azygos vein and the aorta. We considered that the dysphagia was caused by the cystic lesion. Thoracoscopic surgery was finally performed, which confirmed the mass as an AVA through pathological analysis.ConclusionsEUS is one of the most effective and vital tools for the preoperative evaluation of AVA.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1516064/fulldysphagiaAVAmediastinal masscystic lesionEUS |
| spellingShingle | Xueyan Guo Yuanhang Xu Yanfei Cao Yan Jin Case Report: An azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography Frontiers in Oncology dysphagia AVA mediastinal mass cystic lesion EUS |
| title | Case Report: An azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography |
| title_full | Case Report: An azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography |
| title_fullStr | Case Report: An azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography |
| title_full_unstemmed | Case Report: An azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography |
| title_short | Case Report: An azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography |
| title_sort | case report an azygos vein aneurysm with dysphagia assisted diagnosis by esophageal endoscopic ultrasonography |
| topic | dysphagia AVA mediastinal mass cystic lesion EUS |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1516064/full |
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