Key result
Incidental azygos lobe recognition helps avoid misdiagnosis and complications during thoracic procedures.
Why the study?
The azygos lobe is an infrequently encountered anomaly that can be mistaken for pulmonary pathologies, making recognition essential to prevent misdiagnosis and procedural complications.
Case Report (n=3)
Recognition of the rare azygos lobe variant is essential to prevent misdiagnosis of pulmonary pathologies and avoid vascular injury during thoracic procedures.
Recognition of azygos lobe avoids misdiagnosis on chest imaging; single case leaves open need for larger prevalence studies.
Discovery of an azygos lobe is an infrequently encountered anomaly that can be recognized on chest imaging, occurring in approximately 1.2% of patients. The azygos lobe is formed from abnormal migration of the azygos vein, leading to the formation of an azygos fissure and corresponding azygos lobe. This variant is asymptomatic, however, it has clinical implications because of its ability to be mistaken as various pulmonary pathologies. Recognition of this rare finding is essential to prevent misdiagnosis, and to avoid complications during thoracic procedures such as vascular injury. This case series details 3 presentations of an incidental azygos lobe, identifying the presentation, and describing the clinical and surgical significance of its discovery.
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Alkhatib et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Azygos lobe (n=3). Azygos lobe was evaluated on Clinical presentation and surgical significance. Incidental discovery of an azygos lobe in 3 patients highlights the importance of recognizing this rare anomaly to prevent misdiagnosis and avoid complications during thoracic procedures.
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