Interventional therapy of stenosis or occlusion in superior vena cava and its major branches

Objective: To assess the different methods and their outcomes of interventional therapy for stenosis or occlusion in superior vena cava and its branches. Methods: Sixty patients with stenosis or occlusion of SVC and its branches were retrospectively analyzed after interventional therapy. Among them, 38 were males and 22 were females, with age range from 15 to 72 years old (mean age 58). Seventeen patients were treated by thrombolysis, and the rest 43 patients accepted percutaneous angioplasty and stenting. Before and after that, the pressures within the vein were measured at the inflow side. The paired-t test was used for statistical analysis. Results: After treatment, the pressure at the inflow side dropped from (24.8±2.3) mm Hg to (7.1±1.5) mm Hg (1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa), with a significant difference (t= 3.232, P<0.01 ). The clinical outcomes included complete relief in 27 patients, partial relief in 28 patients and non-relief in 5 patients. No major complications occurred. During 6 months follow up, restenosis occurred in 10 patients, among whom 6 received repeat intervention with good results. The other 4 patients turned to surgery. Conclusion: Interventional therapy for stenosis or occlusion in SVC and its branches could recanalize the vessels, restore the blood flow and relief the clinical symptoms. (authors)