Incidentally diagnosed superior vena cava narrowing prompted by screening mammography.

An adult woman with a prior history of treated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presented for screening mammography, which incidentally demonstrated dilated veins throughout the bilateral breasts. Concern for a superior vena cava stenosis or obstruction was raised despite the patient being asymptomatic; the patient underwent further imaging with chest CT, which revealed focal stenosis of the superior vena cava, attributed to fibrosis secondary to prior radiation therapy. Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS), the spectrum of disease caused by superior vena cava narrowing or obstruction, requires prompt investigation given its association with intrathoracic malignancy, primary lung cancer and poor outcomes. This report explores the benign and malignant causes, signs and symptoms, preferred investigations, and treatment of SVCS. This case highlights the potential importance of screening mammography in revealing unexpected ancillary diagnoses, especially in high-risk patients.

Challenge Accepted: Lead Extraction in a Patient with Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava and Right Superior Vena Cava Occlusion.

Persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is an anatomic variant that is relatively uncommon in the general population. Lead extraction through PLSVC is extremely rare. Due to unusual anatomy, the procedure carries challenges that require special considerations and careful planning. The authors report a case of lead extraction through a PLSVC with occluded right superior vena cava and highlight the challenges and outcomes of the procedure.

Safety and efficacy of large-bore uncovered stents for treating malignant superior vena cava syndrome.

PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of large-bore uncovered stents for treating malignant superior vena cava syndrome. METHODS: This retrospective study included 115 patients (89 men, 26 women; mean age 63.2 years; range 21-83 years) who underwent endovascular large-bore (≥18 mm in diameter) uncovered stent placement between August 2015 and July 2022. One patient was lost to follow-up. Therefore, 114 patients were available for follow-up. RESULTS: Stent placement was technically successful in all 115 patients. Minor procedure-related complications occurred in nine (7.8 %) patients. One hundred eight (93.9 %) patients experienced complete or marked symptomatic relief (Kishi score ≤ 2) at a mean of 3 days after procedure. The cumulative stent patency rates were 98.2 %, 95 %, 93.7 %, 91.5 %, 83.5 %, and 83.5 % at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively. Stent occlusion occurred in ten (8.8 %) of 114 patients at a mean of 215 days (range 1-732 days) due to thrombosis (n = 7) and tumor ingrowth (n = 3). Stent occlusion did not occur in 21 patients who underwent subsequent central venous catheter insertion. The median patient survival time was 159 days (95 % confidence interval 102-216 days). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed adjuvant anticancer treatment (p = 0.001) and tumor response (p < 0.001) as independent predictors of patient survival. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular placement of large-bore uncovered stents was a safe and effective treatment for malignant superior vena cava syndrome. Large-bore stent placement can effectively prevent stent occlusion by tumor ingrowth in most cases, and it can provide a sufficient diameter for subsequent insertion of central venous catheters.

Risk factors for hypotension in patients with hemodialysis-associated superior vena cava syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the risk factors for hypotension in patients with hemodialysis-associated superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) and effectiveness of endovascular intervention in hypotension related to SVCS. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 194 maintenance hemodialysis patients diagnosed with SVCS who were admitted to the Department of Nephrology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2019 to December 2021 were selected and divided into a hypotension group and a nonhypotension group. Demographic and clinical data were compared. Hypotension simply refers to blood pressure levels of <90/60 mm Hg on a nondialysis day. All patients received endovascular intervention. RESULTS: Hypotension was found in 85 of the 194 patients. The following factors were significantly different between the hypotension and nonhypotension groups: body mass index, history of hypertension, tunneled-cuffed catheter as the means of dialysis access, azygos ectasis, SVC stenosis of >70% or occlusion, occlusion at the cavitary junction, serum calcium, diastolic left ventricular (LV) posterior wall thickness, LV end-diastolic volume, stroke output, and LV ejection fraction. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension history (OR, 0.314; P = .027), tunneled-cuffed catheter as vascular access (OR, 3.997; P < .001), SVC stenosis of >70% or occlusion (OR, 5.243; P < .001), LV posterior wall thickness (OR, 0.772; P = .044), and serum calcium (OR, 0.146; P = .005) were independent risk factors for hypotension. The mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure after intravascular treatment were significantly elevated from those before intervention (P < .001). The primary patency rates of SVC were 66.8%, 58.7%, and 50.0% at 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of hypotension in patients with hemodialysis-associated SVCS is high. The identification of risk factors of hemodialysis-related hypotension provides insight into potential treatment strategies. Endovascular treatment is expected to improve hypotension related to SVCS in hemodialysis patients.

Superior vena cava syndrome induced by lung hyperinflation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Superior vena cava syndrome is rarely attributed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of an 82-year-old Japanese man who experienced gradually progressive dyspnea on exertion. His physical examination revealed small vascular dilatations on his chest and upper abdominal skin characterized by blood flow from head to leg, indicating superior vena cava syndrome. Radiographic findings included lung hyperinflation with a drop-like heart on chest X-ray, and emphysematous changes on computed tomography. The superior vena cava appeared extremely narrow and slit-like, with no adjacent mass or giant bulla. Pulmonary function testing indicated a forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 0.82L (44.4% of predicted value) and a forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity of 31.29%. A diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was made. We discuss how longitudinal forces can narrow the superior vena cava, particularly when it protrudes toward the lung field due to its anatomical location in the upper mediastinum. The absence of mediastinal adipose tissue may render the superior vena cava susceptible to compression, resulting in a loss of its typical columnar structure. The protrusion of the superior vena cava toward the lung field may be a contributing factor to superior vena cava narrowing in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CONCLUSION: This case represents the first reported instance of superior vena cava syndrome associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, characterized by lung hyperinflation, in the absence of a giant bulla.

Hypotensive patient with superior vena cava obstruction diagnosed using resuscitative transesophageal echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a malignancy-related emergency. It is caused by obstruction of blood flow in the superior vena cava (SVC) secondary to intraluminal thrombosis, external compression, or direct invasion of tumor. CASE SUMMARY: A 49-year-old male presented to the emergency department (ED) with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. He was intubated and treated as pneumonia. Post-intubation, he became hypotensive, requiring fluid resuscitation and inotropic support. Resuscitative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed external compression by a lung mass and an intraluminal thrombus causing SVC obstruction. Computed tomography (CT) angiography was performed, and it confirmed the TEE findings. A provisional diagnosis of lung carcinoma was made, and he underwent endovascular therapy for rapid symptomatic relief. DISCUSSION: This case report highlights the role of resuscitative TEE in evaluating a hypotensive patient with clinical suspicion of SVCS at the emergency department. TEE performed at the bedside could help to diagnose and demonstrate the pathology causing SVCS in this case. TEE allowed high-quality image acquisition and was able to overcome the limitation of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). TEE should be considered as an alternative ED imaging modality in the management of SVCS.

Diagnostic Value of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography for Catheter-Related Right Brachiocephalic Vein and Superior Vena Cava Lesions in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis-A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) for detecting catheter-related right brachiocephalic vein (RBV) and superior vena cava (SVC) obstructions in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). METHODS: From June 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022, we enrolled 80 patients undergoing HD who had used or were using a central venous catheter as vascular access. We evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of conventional ultrasonography and CEUS for identifying RBV and SVC obstructions and compared them with that of digital subtraction angiography (DSA). In the stratified analysis, the SVC was divided into the upper and lower segments. In total, we analyzed 240 central venous segments, including the RBV. RESULTS: Among the RBV and SVC visualized by DSA, conventional ultrasonography and CEUS could visualize 67.92 and 100% of the vein segments, respectively; however, the lengths and diameters of the RBV and SVC were smaller than those recorded with DSA (P < .001). The diagnostic efficacy of CEUS for detecting catheter-related central venous obstruction was better than that of conventional ultrasonography, with a higher sensitivity (83.95 vs 41.98%), specificity (89.94 vs 53.46%), accuracy (87.92 vs 49.58%), and F1 score (82.42 vs 49.64%). CEUS showed good agreement (κ = 0.732) with DSA. In the stratified analyses, CEUS also showed higher sensitivity (83.93, 83.33, and 84.62%, respectively) and better agreement with DSA (κ = 0.635, 0.655, and 0.673, respectively) than conventional ultrasonography for detecting the RBV and the upper and lower segments of the SVC. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS had high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing catheter-related RBV and SVC obstructions.