Superior vena cava stent placement: results with the Wallstent endoprosthesis.

Purpose: To assess the clinical success and short-term patency of the Wallstent endoprosthesis in the treatment of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-one 14-mm-diameter endoprostheses were implanted in 15 patients (mean age, 60 years) treated for SVC syndrome due to malignant compression (n = 14) or postirradiation fibrotic stenosis (n = 1) of the SVC.

Results: Immediate technical success was achieved in all patients. Two early complications occurred: retroperitoneal hemorrhage due to venous iliac tear and early stent thrombosis. In the 14 patients without early stent occlusion, stent placement resulted in complete relief of SVC syndrome; clinical success was 93%. SVC syndrome did not recur from 1 to 14 months, until the patient died (n = 11) or until the end of the study (n = 3). Helical CT showed a patent stent in five patients, respectively, at 3, 6, 8, 10, and 11 months.

Conclusion: SVC stent placement has good clinical results and a high patency rate at short-term follow-up in patients with SVC syndrome.