A 27 yr old man presented with productive cough, fever and manifestations of superior vena cava syndrome. He was an alcoholic but had been in good health until 3 days prior to admission. The physical examination, the chest radiograph and the results of the sputum culture were compatible with Klebsiella pneumoniae pneumonia of the right upper lobe. The superior vena cava scintigram using technet...

A 70-year-old man had the superior vena cava syndrome. At thoracotomy a retained central venous pressure line was found to be the cause of venous thrombosis at the outlet of the superior vena cava into the right atrium. A retained central venous pressure catheter and catheter-induced venous thrombosis should be added to the list of causes of the benign form of the superior vena cava syndrome.

An area of increased activity in segment IV of liver (quadrate lobe) on 99mTc-sulfur colloid (TSC) scans has been well documented in patients with superior vena cava obstruction. Similarly intense enhancement of the quadrate lobe in the arterial phase may be seen on computed tomography in patients of superior vena cava syndrome. We present this imaging finding in a case of malignant thymoma cau...

Aggressive en-bloc resection of the superior vena cava was performed in a 50-year-old man who had superior vena caval syndrome caused by invasive thymoma. After the superior vena cava was resected, a Gore-Tex vascular graft was used to reconstruct the lower end of the right innominate vein and lower end of the superior vena cava. The patient was treated with postoperative radiotherapy to the me...

Approximately 15,000 cases of superior vena cava (SVC) obstruction are diagnosed in the United States annually. Malignancies (primarily lung cancer) are the underlying cause of 80-85% of cases, leaving 15-20% caused by various benign conditions, including sclerosing mediastinitis (the diagnosis in our case). Thrombolytic therapy and major advances in vascular techniques in recent years have imp...

The superior vena cava syndrome represents the set of signs and symptoms resulting from obstruction of superior vena cava. The syndrome has as main causes malignant tumors such as bronchogenic carcinoma, lymphoma and mediastinal metastases. Lung cancer accounts for 80% of cases, mediastinal lymphomas by 15% and 5% correspond to other causes. This case report aims to present an unusual case of t...

1.1 Anatomy The superior vena cava (SVC) originates in the chest, behind the first right sternocostal articulation, from the confluence of two main collector vessels: the right and left brachiocephalic veins which receive the ipsilateral internal jugular and subclavian veins. It is located in the anterior mediastinum, on the right side. The internal jugular vein collects the blood from head and...

The superior vena cava is formed by the union of the right and left brachiocephalic veins. It is located in the middle mediastinum, to the right of the aorta and anterior to the trachea. Superior vena cava syndrome consists of a group of signs (dilation of the veins in the neck, facial swelling, edema of the upper limbs, and cyanosis) and symptoms (headache, dyspnea, cough, orthopnea and dyspha...

The superior vena cava is formed by the union of the right and left brachiocephalic veins. It is located in the middle mediastinum, to the right of the aorta and anterior to the trachea. Superior vena cava syndrome consists of a group of signs (dilation of the veins in the neck, facial swelling, edema of the upper limbs, and cyanosis) and symptoms (headache, dyspnea, cough, orthopnea and dyspha...