[Venous endoprosthesis. Palliative treatment of superior caval syndrome of neoplastic origin]

Twenty-three patients with SVC syndrome were evaluated with CT and venography. The superior vena cava or its tributaries were either stenosed or thrombosed. The etiology was malignant in all cases: non small cell carcinoma (16 cases), mediastinal nodal metastasis (3 cases), lymphomas (2 cases), pleural mesothelioma (1 case), small cell carcinoma (1 case). The length of the stenosis ranged from 20 to 70 mm. The stents were placed via a femoral, jugular or brachial approach. Stenting was achieved in 22/23 patients (96%). Clinical symptoms subsided in 20/22 patients (87%). Mean follow-up was 15 weeks. Stents remained patent in 17/20 patients (78%). Stenting is a safe and effective treatment of SVC syndrome in patients with malignant conditions.