Aortic ectasia with hemiazygos vein dilatation: a mimicker of aortic dissection.
Infrahepatic interruption of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare but well-documented finding. In this condition, the IVC between renal and hepatic vein is absent and the hepatic veins directly empty into the right atrium; because of the enlargement of the azygos-hemiazygos vein system, this condition could mimic aortic pathology. We will describe a case of aortic arch enlargement with dilatation of hemiazygos vein, which was initially misdiagnosed by two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) as aortic dissection. TEE-Doppler identified the real condition, which was confirmed by computed tomography.
Department of Cardiology, INRCA-IRCCS Hospital, Via Cassia, Rome, Italy.
Massimo
M
Leggio
Luca
L
Sgorbini
Emilio
E
Cicone
Francesco
F
Leggio
D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001015:Aortic Arch Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001401:Azygos Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014664:Vasodilation; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology