Superior vena caval syndrome in benign mediastinal goitre

The superior vena caval syndrome is the clinical condition which develops at too high a pressure in the superior vena cava and the afferent veins. Its aetiology has changed in the course of time, but at present 97% of the cases are due to intrathoracic malignancy. An extremely rare aetiological factor is substernal and intrathoracic goitre. In such cases the syndrome is often of fairly acute onset due to haemorrhage in the goitre, and as a rule it is associated with dyspnoea and dysphagia. The treatment is always operative.