Case Report: Surgical Therapy for Left Innominate Vein Aneurysm Under Thoracoscopy

Left innominate vein aneurysm is extremely rare, with a limited number of case reports present in the literature. Herein, we report a case of a 50-year-old female patient presenting with an incidental finding of an anterior mediastinal mass on chest radiography during a routine health examination. Contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT) of the chest showed a 4.8 × 4.6 cm anterior mediastinal mass with significant homogenous enhancement after injection of the contrast medium, suggesting a diagnosis of Castleman's disease, but not excluding thymoma. The patient underwent surgical resection of the anterior mediastinal mass under a thoracoscopic approach. Postoperative pathology confirmed the diagnosis of a left innominate vein aneurysm. This is the first case reporting a left innominate vein aneurysm resected under thoracoscopy. Despite this successful treatment experience, we need to emphasize that open thoracotomy or median sternotomy should be chosen as the first choice for surgeons who lack experience in thoracoscopic surgery, with the aim of avoiding intraoperative accidents.

Substernal goitre presenting with upper and lower extremity oedema

Substernal goitre is characterised by compressive symptoms of the airway and oesophagus. Chronic, progressive symptoms usually result in surgical removal. We report a rare presentation of substernal goitre in a male in his early 70s who suffered from severe bilateral lower extremity (LE) lymphoedema, resulting in immobility and nursing home placement, and left upper extremity lymphoedema. Our initial assessment led to a filariasis work-up, which was negative, due to the patient’s prior 2-year residence in India and service overseas. Chest CT scan revealed an incidental substernal goitre extending posterior to the left innominate vein and aortic arch to the level of the left mainstem bronchus. The patient underwent a left hemithyroidectomy via cervical excision and sternotomy and had an uneventful recovery with resolution of lymphoedema and mobility. Despite extensive literature regarding clinical presentations of substernal goitre, severe lymphoedema of the LE is not a well-established association.

Venous Thrombosis of the Mammary Vein Following Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter for Total Parenteral Nutrition Relying on Ecg Tip Confirmation Technology

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is a life-saving therapy for patients who are not able to utilize the gastrointestinal tract. There are several different types of central venous catheters (CVC) used to deliver TPN. To safely deliver hyperosmotic TPN solutions, CVC tip position should be in the in lower superior vena cava (SVC) or at the junction of SVC and right atrium (RA). New techniques such as intravascular electrocardiogram (ECG) are being used for tip confirmation to help facilitate expedient use of PICC lines replacing the need for chest x-ray (CXR) confirmation. We present a case of a TPN patient who had a PICC line placed, and ECG confirmed tip as being in the SVC. The patient developed chest pain with flushing of the PICC prompting surgical service to obtain a CXR. The CXR suggested the line was in the either in mammary vein or aorta and recommended replacement. Interventional radiology flushed a small amount of contrast through the PICC and fluoroscopy confirmed the PICC tip was in the left internal mammary vein with reflux of contrast in the left innominate vein. The left innominate vein was occluded due to thrombosis and vasospasm. The patient required increased level of care (PCU) for 2 days, but was eventually discharged with home total parenteral nutrition and has done well. We conclude that care should be taken when using ECG confirmation for PICC tip placement and we feel that patients requiring hyperosmotic TPN should still require CXR confirmation to ensure tip appropriate tip location

Circumaortic double left innominate vein: a rare echocardiographic diagnosis confirmed during congenital heart surgery

We report a case of a newborn infant with coarctation of the aorta and hypoplastic transverse aortic arch who was found to have a circumaortic double left innominate vein on echocardiography. This exceedingly rare finding was important for surgical planning and was confirmed during congenital heart surgery.