Chest
-
Esophageal foreign bodies rarely cause respiratory distress in adults. While it is well known that upper airway obstruction can occur with esophageal foreign bodies in children, the otorlaryngologic literature mentions little of this problem in older patients. ⋯ The possibility of an unsuspected esophageal foreign body should be kept in mind during the evaluation of respiratory distress in an adult, especially in one who is a poor historian or has a history of a psychiatric disorder. Early endoscopic removal in the treatment of choice, although esophagotomy may be required.
-
Azygos continuation of the inferior vena cava is diagnosed in infants in the presence of obstruction to flow in the inferior vena cava due to infrahepatic interruption. Recently we studied in an infant complex congenital heart disease in which there was azygos continuation of the inferior vena cava without infrahepatic interruption or any other obstructive lesion of this vessel. The blood from the lower part of the body drained into the right atrium by two wide patent veins: the inferior vena cava and the azygos system. The angiocardiographic observations of this condition in an infant are reported for the first time to our knowledge, and the embryologic development is briefly reviewed.