• Journal of The Korean Radiological Technologist Association
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.316-316
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• 2002

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.5
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• pp.210-213
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• 2013

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is usually caused by extrinsic compression or invasion of the superior vena cava (SVC) by malignant tumors involving mediastinal structures. Although thymomas are well-known causes of SVCS, cases of SVCS caused by malignant thymomas protruding into adjacent vessels draining the SVC with thrombosis have been very rarely reported worldwide. We experienced a 39-year-old female patient with SVCS that developed after the direct invasion of the left brachiocephalic vein (LBCV) and SVC by an anterior mediastinal mass with a high maximum standardized uptake value on the chest computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography-CT. Based on these results, she underwent en bloc resection of the tumor, including removal of the involved vessels, and was eventually diagnosed as having a type B2 thymoma permeating into the LBCV and SVC. We present this case as a very rare form of SVCS caused by an invasive thymoma.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.43-46
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• 2015

Pancoast syndrome (PS) is characterized by a malignant neoplasm of the superior sulcus of the lung with destructive lesions of the thoracic inlet and involvement of the brachial plexus and cervical sympathetic nerves. The most common initial symptom of PS is shoulder pain; however, cough, dyspnea, and hemoptysis, signs often associated with lung cancer, are not as common. Investigation of PS can be difficult even with plain radiographs of the chest because it is surrounded by osseous structures such as the ribs, vertebral bodies, and manubrium. Due to these characteristics, orthopedic surgeons tend to make a misdiagnosis resulting in delay of appropriate treatment. Here we report on a patient who was supposed to undergo rotator cuff repair for his shoulder pain and weakness, and was eventually diagnosed with PS.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.1 s.246
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• pp.67-71
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• 2005

The major etiology of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is malignancy. Radiologic endovascular intervention is the treatment of choice for patients with SVC syndrome due to malignant disease, which is unresponsive to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. However, it is not clear whether endovascular intervention can replace open surgery as the primary method of management of benign SVC syndrome. We report two cases of benign SVC syndrome resulting from dialysis catheters placed in the central veins. One patient underwent bypass surgery between innominate vein and right atrium by expanded polytetrafluoroethylene. Another patient had large thrombi in SVC and other central veins. We removed them under cardiopulmonary bypass to prevent pulmonary embolism, and SVC was repaired and augmented by autologous pericardium. Prompt symptomatic relief and angiographic improvements of collateral flow were achieved in both patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.58-62
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• 1994

Superior vena cava(SVC) syndrome is mostly related to a malignant process, but many different benign causes have also been described. We report a case of SVC syndrome caused by Klebsiella pneumonia diagnosed by sputum culture and serial chest X-ray changes. A 27-year-old man had been in stable health until three days before admission, when he complained of pleuritic chest pain, facial flushing, and shortness of breath. Examination of the head and neck disclosed edema of face and both arms, and jugular venous distention to the angle of the jaw. The chest auscultation revealed decreased breath sound without crack1e on right upper lung field. The chest roentgenogram showed homogenous air space consolidation on right upper lobe, asociated with downward displacement of minor fissure and contralateral displacement of trachea, but air bronchogram was not seen. We began antibiotic therapy under impression of pneumonia after available culture was taken from blood and sputum. SVC scintigraphy showed stasis of drain of right brachiocephalic vein at the proximal portion with reflux into the right internal jugular vein and faintly visible SVC via the collaterals. Sputum culture revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antibiotic therapy resulted in a cure of infection and disappearance of facial swelling. Follow-up SVC scintigraphy after 20 days showed normal finding. We first report a case of SVC syndrome caused by klebsiella pneunonia.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.78-84
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• 2005

Purpose: The studied the effect of such variables as the symptom improvement rate, survival and prognostic factors on the treatment results of radiation therapy for Superior Vena Cava Syndrome (SVCS). Materials and Methods: From 1988 to 2003, seventy two patients with SVCS were treated with radiation therapy at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center. The patients' ages ranged from 10 to 83 years old with the median age being 61, and sixty four patients were male. For the causes of the SVCS, 64 patients had lung cancer, four had metastatic lung cancer, two had malignant lymphoma and two had thymoma. The radiotherapy was delivered with 6-MV X-rays and all patients received above 900 cGy up to 6,600 cGy, with the median dose being 4,000 cGy The follow-up periods were from 1 to 180 months with a median of 5.6 months. Results: The main clinical manifestations were dyspnea ($84.7\%$), facial edema ($81.9\%$), arm edema ($22.2\%$), neck vein distension ($25\%$), hoarseness ($12.5\%$) and facial plethora ($5.6\%$). Eighty percent of patients achieved excellent to good symptom improvement and $19.4\%$ experienced minimal improvement. The median survival period was 5.1 months, and overall survival rates were $17.7\%$ at 2 years (2YOS) and $14.8\%$ at five years (5YOS) for all the patients. The median survival period, the two and five year disease free survival rates were 4.3 months, $16.7\%$ and $13.4\%$ for the lung cancer patients, respectively. The total tumor dose was a statistically significant survival factor on the univariate analysis for the patients with lung cancer (2YSR; > 30 Gy, $25.6\%$, $\leq$ 30 Gy $6.7\%$, p<0.01). On the multivariated analysis, a higher total tumor dose (p<0.01) and younger age (p<0.05) were statistically significant factors of survival for the lung cancer patients. Patients with NSCLC showed better survival than did the patients with SCLC, but this was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), Conclusion: Radiation therapy for the patients with SVCS due to malignancy could be an effective treatment. We considered that radiation therapy above 30 Gy of the total tumor dose may improve survival for SVCS due to lung cancer.