Rapid Enlargement of the Azygos Vein as a Sign of Retro Peritoneal Venous Obstruction

THE various collateral routes available for venous return in the face of iliac-vein or inferiorvena-cava obstruction have been well demonstrated in laboratory animals and human beings.1 2 3 4 5 The ascending lumbar and spinal-plexus veins and the superficial trunk-wall routes form the two major pathways. In the patient described below, the venous abnormality presenting as a mass in the right superior mediastinum had not been present on a chest film taken three weeks earlier. Case Report An obese 79-year-old Negro woman was admitted to the hospital for treatment of long standing stasis dermatitis of both legs, with recurrent ulceration over the right medial . . .