Summary
- Clinical condition that occurs due to obstruction of the superior vena cava.
- Most common aetiology is malignancy; however, there has been an increase in benign causes due to more frequent use of intravascular devices.
- Although rarely fatal, may sometimes present as life-threatening upper airway obstruction.
- High index of suspicion is required to make the diagnosis in many cases.
- Treatment and prognosis depend on underlying aetiology.
Other related conditions
- Sarcoidosis
- Pulmonary embolism
- Pulmonary tuberculosis
- Extrapulmonary tuberculosis
- Pericarditis
- Colorectal cancer
- Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Behcet's syndrome
- Aspergillosis
- Assessment of pericardial effusion
- Metastatic breast cancer
- Histoplasmosis
- Nocardiosis
- Assessment of mediastinal mass
- Oesophageal cancer
- Kaposi's sarcoma
- Atrial myxoma
- Small cell lung cancer
- Non-small cell lung cancer
- Blastomycosis
Last updated: Sep 21, 2012
