A 10-year-old boy is admitted to the hospital with retrosternal discomfort. A CT scan reveals a midline tumor of the thymus gland. Which of the following veins would most likely be compressed by the tumor?
The thymus lies in the superior mediastinum and extends upward into the neck, especially in the young. A midline tumor of this gland can compress the left brachiocephalic vein. The subclavian vein is distal or lateral to this location, and the thymus gland would not likely impinge upon it. The internal jugular veins are located superior and lateral to the position of the thymus gland. A midline tumor is more likely to cause compression of the left brachiocephalic vein, which crosses the midline, than the right brachiocephalic vein, which is not located in the midline.
Right internal jugular
Left internal jugular
Right brachiocephalic
Left brachiocephalic
Thorax