Jugular phlebectasia: a manometric study in an unanesthetized patient

Jugular phlebectasia, a dilatation of the jugular veins, is a relatively rare benign condition. Although the precise etiology is unknown, an increase in intrathoracic pressure that is transmitted to the jugular vein is believed to cause the venous ectasia. However, in this case of a 70-year-old woman with right internal jugular phlebectasia, the increase in intrathoracic pressure was not transmitted to the dilated vein, although it was transmitted to the other surrounding veins. Selectively high baseline pressure in the dilated vein could have caused the venous ectasia in this case.