Acute superior vena cava syndrome after central venous catheter placement

Most cases of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome are secondary to malignant disease and subacute in their presentation. Acute cases of SVC syndrome have been described, with the majority of these being precipitated by thrombosis after central venous catheterization. The authors report a case of acute SVC syndrome after central venous catheter placement, which was not due to thrombosis, but rather caused by a catheter occluding a previously subclinical stenosis of the SVC. Resolution of the clinical SVC syndrome occurred after catheter withdrawal.