Conventional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound for diagnosis of left internal jugular venous vein pseudo-aneurysm: a case report and literature review / 中国医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the ultrasonographic features of internal jugular venous vein pseudo-aneurysm.Methods:The ultrasonographic and clinical features of a patient with internal jugular venous vein pseudo-aneurysm in Union Hospital Affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology were retrospectively analyzed. These characteristics of this patient combined with cases from literatures were summarized.Results:Ultrasound showed that the 38.6 mm×14.0 mm×29.9 mm anechoic area in the soft tissue layer of the left neck communicated with the left internal jugular vein through the 3.8 mm wide breach, and a 12.9 mm×6.6 mm slightly hyperechoic mass was found in the anechoic area. Color Doppler flow imaging showed that the internal jugular vein communicated with the anechoic area through the crevasse. There was no obvious blood flow signal in slightly hyperechoic mass. The bidirectional burr-like blood flow signal could be detected by pulse-wave Doppler. Contrast enhanced ultrasound showed that the contrast agent flowed into the mass from the internal jugular vein through the breach, and the slightly hyperechoic mass appeared the contrast filling defect, and contrast agent was well filled in the rest of the anechoic area. Ultrasound diagnosis left internal jugular vein pseudoaneurysm with thrombosis. 35 cases of cervical vein pseudo-aneurysm patients were finally included in 23 documents, including 12 males, 23 females, 15 cases on the left side, 20 cases on the right side, 6 cases of the internal jugular vein, 27 cases of the external jugular vein; one case only describes the neck veins and supraclavicular vein in another one case. Among them, 34 cases showed subcutaneous anechoic masses on ultrasound, 1 case showed slightly hyperechoic masses, and 35 cases showed venous wall breaches.Conclusions:Ultrasound examination has high diagnostic value for vein pseudo-aneurysm owing to its convenience, fast and serial observation. Therefore, it is the preferred method and can be widely used in clinical practice. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can clearly show the blood perfusion, and help to improve the diagnostic confidence of the operator.