What is a SVC stent?
An SVC stent is a metal mesh tube that is placed inside the vein to hold it open and improve blood flow. The stent should result in a rapid improvement in your symptoms.
How is SVC obstruction treated?
Treating SVCO
- There are different ways of treating SVCO. The treatment you have will depend on how severe the symptoms are and the type of cancer you have.
- Stents. A stent is a small tube that can be put into the SVC to keep it open.
- Radiotherapy.
- Chemotherapy.
- Drugs to treat blood clots.
Can you put a stent in the superior vena cava?
Superior vena caval stenting is an image guided technique that restores the venous return in patients with superior vena cava obstruction. The stent is placed via the internal jugular, subclavian vein, or common femoral vein, under local anaesthetic.
Where are the SVC and IVC What do they drain into?
After circulating through the body systemically, deoxygenated blood returns to the right atrium of the heart through either the SVC, which drains the upper body, or the inferior vena cava (IVC) that drains everything below the diaphragm.
What comes off the superior vena cava?
The superior vena cava (SVC) is the superior of the two venae cavae, the great venous trunks that return deoxygenated blood from the systemic circulation to the right atrium of the heart.
What is superior vena cava syndrome?
Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is a collection of clinical signs and symptoms resulting from either partial or complete obstruction of blood flow through the SVC. This obstruction is most commonly a result of thrombus formation or tumor infiltration of the vessel wall.
How Long Can You Live With SVC syndrome?
The average life expectancy for patients who present with malignancy-related SVC syndrome is 6 months, although the prognosis is quite variable depending on the type of malignancy.
Why is SVC obstruction an emergency?
SVC syndrome happens when blood flow through the superior vena cava is blocked. SVC syndrome is an oncologic emergency, which is a serious health problem caused by the cancer itself or its treatment. Oncologic emergencies need to be treated right away.
What is SVC obstruction?
SVC obstruction is a narrowing or blockage of the superior vena cava (SVC), which is the second largest vein in the human body. The superior vena cava moves blood from the upper half of the body to the heart.
What drains into superior vena cava?
The azygos vein is another vein that drains into the superior vena cava. This vein is unpaired. It runs along the right aspect of the thoracic vertebral column and enters into the thorax at the aortic hiatus of the diaphragm. The azygos vein forms from the joining of the right subcostal and ascending lumbar veins.
How big is the SVC?
The SVC is about 7 cm long and 2 cm wide. Halfway along its course, before it enters the pericardium, the SVC receives the azygos arch. The brachiocephalic veins are formed at the confluence of the subclavian and internal jugular veins behind the sternoclavicular joints (see Figure 2.4).
What flows into SVC?
The superior vena cava is formed by the left and right brachiocephalic veins, which receive blood from the upper limbs, head and neck, behind the lower border of the first right costal cartilage.
Is the superior vena cava a vein or artery?
A large vein that carries blood to the heart from other areas of the body. The vena cava has two parts: the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. The superior vena cava carries blood from the head, neck, arms, and chest.
How serious is superior vena cava?
SVCS is serious when it occurs in adults. But it can be life-threatening in children. Symptoms include trouble breathing, coughing, and swelling of the face, neck, upper body, and arms. Treatment options for SVCS caused by cancer may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, thrombolysis, and stent placement.
Can SVC syndrome be cured?
Superior vena cava syndrome itself is very treatable, and symptoms are usually greatly improved within the first month of treatment. However, because the majority of cases are caused by cancer, the overall outlook will depend on the type and stage of the cancer involved.
Is SVC syndrome an emergency?
SVC syndrome is an oncologic emergency and needs to be treated right away. You may have imaging tests (CT/MRI/venography) to measure the blockage of the SVC. SVC syndrome is treated by treating the cause.
What happens if the superior vena cava is blocked?
Your superior vena cava is a blood vessel that returns blood from your upper body to your heart. When this vein is blocked, it can cause swelling in your upper body, shortness of breath and other symptoms. Severe cases that aren’t treated can be life-threatening, especially in children.
How serious is SVC syndrome?
SVCS is serious when it occurs in adults. But it can be life-threatening in children. Symptoms include trouble breathing, coughing, and swelling of the face, neck, upper body, and arms.
What is the main function of the superior vena cava?
The superior vena cava carries blood from the head, neck, arms, and chest. The inferior vena cava carries blood from the legs, feet, and organs in the abdomen and pelvis. The vena cava is the largest vein in the body.
Where is the SVC located?
The superior vena cava is located in the thorax (chest), more specifically, it is in the anterior (front) right, superior (above) mediastinum. The superior vena cava starts at the lower border of the first costal cartilage.
Where does the SVC drain?
The superior vena cava (SVC) starts at the confluence of the brachiocephalic veins behind the first right costal cartilage, and ends at the level of the third right costal cartilage where it drains into the right atrium.
What cancers cause SVC syndrome?
SVCS is more common if you have lung cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or cancer that spreads to the chest. Cancer can cause SVCS in several ways: A tumor in the chest can press on the superior vena cava.
What organs drain into the superior vena cava?
Function. The superior vena cava is a vital structure in the human circulatory system that helps drain large amounts of deoxygenated blood from the head, eyes, neck, and upper limbs into the upper left chamber (atrium) of the heart.