Superior Vena Cava Syndrome, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

by Kenneth Kee

Overview

This book describes Superior Vena Cava Syndrome, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases
SVC syndrome is a constriction or obstruction of the superior vena cava (SVC), which is the second largest vein in the human body.
The superior vena cava transports blood from the upper half of the body to the heart.
Blockage of the superior vena cava (SVC) can be due to external pressure, involvement of the vessel by tumor tissue, or a blood clot blocking the lumen.
Causes
SVC syndrome is an infrequent disorder.
It is most often produced by cancer or a tumor in the mediastinum
Today, the most frequent cause is superior mediastinal pressure linked with lung cancer (> 85%).
SVC syndrome can also be produced by non-cancerous disorders that produce scarring.
1.Histoplasmosis (fungal infection)
2.Inflammation of a vein (thrombophlebitis)
3.Lung infections (such as TB)
Other causes of SVC blockage are:
1.Aortic aneurysm (a widening of the artery that leaves the heart)
2.Blood clots in the SVC
3.Constrictive pericarditis (tightening of the thin lining of the sac surrounding the heart)
4.Effects of radiation therapy for certain medical conditions
5.Enlargement of the thyroid gland (goiter)
6.Catheters placed in the large veins of the upper arm and neck
Symptoms
Symptoms may start suddenly or gradually, and may worsen when the patient bends over or lies down.
1.Swelling around the eye
2.Swelling of the face
3.Swelling of the whites of the eyes
The swelling tend most likely be worse in the early morning hours and fade away by mid-morning.
The most frequent symptoms are shortness of breath (dyspnea) and swelling of the face, neck, trunk, and arms.
In adults, bronchogenic carcinoma was the most frequent cause of SVC obstruction
In children, the most frequent causes are T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Other probable symptoms are:
1.Decreased alertness
2.Dizziness, fainting
3.Headache
4.Reddish face or cheeks
Signs:
1.Dilated veins over the arms, neck and anterior chest wall.
2.Edema of the upper body, extremities and face.
3.Severe respiratory distress.
Diagnosis
The doctor will do a physical examination, which may reveal enlarged veins of the face, neck, and upper chest.
Blood pressure is often elevated in the arms and low in the legs.
CXR, CT scan and MRI: may show a widened mediastinum or a mass on the right side of the chest
Bronchoscopy has a reported diagnostic result of >70%, whilst mediastinoscopy or mediastinotomy has a result of >90%.
Treatment

The purpose of treatment is to alleviate the obstruction.
The placement of a stent (tube placed inside a blood vessel) to open up the SVC
Medical
1.Elevation of the head, and oxygen
2.Diuretics (water pills) or steroids (anti-inflammatory drugs)
3.Radiation or chemotherapy or surgery to reduce the tumor
4.Anticoagulation may be needed where venography has revealed central vein thrombosis, to prevent pulmonary embolism
Surgical
Stenting and angioplasty (also known as endovascular surgery) are particularly useful in patients requiring long-term venous access
Reconstructive surgery is possible and may be helped by the use of autologous tissue
These treatments may be used for SVCS in children:
1.Radiation therapy if a tumor is blocking the vein
2.Corticosteroids to reduce swelling
3.Chemotherapy for treatment of tumor
4 Stent placement to improve blood flow
5.Surgery so blood can flow around the blocked part of the vein
Stenting should be considered first-line treatment for SVCS of benign origin, with open surgical reconstruction still a good choice if endovascular repair fails or is unsuitable

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Superior Vena Cava Syndrome
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Mediastinal Tumors
Chapter 8 Lung Cancer
Epilogue

Product Details

BN ID:	2940155237440
Publisher:	Kenneth Kee
Publication date:	04/30/2018
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	164 KB

About the Author

Medical doctor since 1972. Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009. Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993. Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 65. However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. He first started writing free blogs on medical conditions seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com. This autobiolographical account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com. From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 550 amazon kindle books and some into Smashwords.com eBooks. He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books. He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures. Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple. For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients. The later books go into more details of medical conditions. The first chapter of all my ebooks is always taken from my blog A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions which was started in 2007 as a simple educational help to my patients on my first blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. The medical condition was described simply and direct to the point. Because the simple guide as taken from the blog was described as too simple, I have increased the other chapters to include more detailed description of the illness, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. As a result there are the complaints by some readers of constant repetitions of the same contents but in detail and fairly up to date. He has published 550 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter. The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health conditions and not meant as textbooks. He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke. His clinic is now relocated to the Bouna Vista Community Centre. The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall. He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) starting with the Apple computer and going to PC. All the PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core. The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive. He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance. His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner. The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned. This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale. Dr Kee is the author of: "A Family Doctor's Tale" "Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine" "Case Notes From A Family Doctor"