Embolization for haemomediastinum due to spontaneous rupture of oesophageal branch arising from an unusual origin (inferior thyroidal artery) after vomiting: a case report

Abstract Spontaneous rupture of the oesophageal artery is rarely observed in clinical practice and may lead to a haemomediastinum, which is a potentially life-threatening condition. Among these conditions, a mediastinal haemorrhage from oesophageal branches of the bronchial artery is the most frequently reported. However, rupture of oesophageal branches arising from the inferior thyroid artery (ITA) has never been reported to date. This current case report describes a male patient in his mid-70s who experienced sudden chest pain with haemomediastinum caused by the rupture of oesophageal artery branches after vomiting. This patient was successfully treated with separate transcatheter arterial embolization of the two oesophageal branches arising from the ITA and the bronchial artery using N-butyl-cyanoacrylate. Awareness of the various potential sources of haemomediastinum is important to increase the success rate of transcatheter arterial embolization.