ANEURYSM OF THE LEFT BRACHIOCEPHALIC VEIN - AN UNUSUAL CAUSE OF MEDIASTINAL WIDENING

A case of left brachiocephalic venous aneurysm is presented. Thoracic venous aneurysms are rare with only 27 previous cases in the medical l iterature, the majority involving the superior vena cava. There are on ly two previous reports of isolated brachiocephalic venous aneurysm. V enous aneurysms are usually first detected as mediastinal widening on a chest radiograph and can be further defined using CT, MRI or angiogr aphy. The aetiology is uncertain. Management is usually conservative, but surgical correction has been performed.