[Painful cervical mass revealing an aneurysm of the internal jugular vein]

Internal jugular vein aneurysms or phlebectasia of the internal jugular vein are considered a benign pathology. They are more and more diagnosed with the evolution of imaging techniques : ultrasonography, angioscanner and MRI. Clinically they are often by chance, however accompanying clinical signs can be seen such as pain, hoarseness or vocal cord paralysis. Several differential diagnoses can be mentioned such as laryngocoele, gill cyst, paraganglioma and hemangioma. They are of unknown etiology with several hypotheses on the etiopathogenesis and on the frequent localization on the right. Conservative treatment can be chosen for small aneurysms and in children. Surgical treatment finds its indication especially in the event of a complication such as thrombosis or for an aesthetic interest; other treatments such as endovascular treatment are being evaluated. We report the case of a 67-year-old woman admitted for a painful latero-cervical mass, and in whom the diagnosis of an aneurysm of the internal jugular vein was suspected and confirmed by ultrasound and CTscan. The patient received successful surgical treatment.