Saccular aneurysm of the azygos vein in a patient with azygos accessory fissure

Radiologia 2015 January 15 [Epub ahead of print] [Link]

Córdoba Rovira SM, Guedea Martin A, Salvador Adell I, Elias Artiga J.

Abstract

The saccular aneurysm of the azygos vein is an extremely rare condition, which when located in the path of an accesory pulmonary fissure, becomes a diagnostic challenge because it can be mistaken for tumors arising from the accesory pleura, like solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura or mesothelioma. The diagnosis should ideally be done by non-invasive methods such as CT or MR angiographic technique in multiple phases, thus avoiding unnecessary surgical intervention. This case is exceptional because, to our knowledge, it is the first to report both concomitant clinical situations, an aneurysm of the azygos vein in the pathway of its accessory fissure.