Superior vena cava syndrome in childhood: report of ten cases and review of the literature.
Experience with ten children with superior vena cava obstruction is reported. Five patients had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, two had Hodgkin's disease, two had benign lesions, and one patient was suspected on clinical and radiologic basis to have a lymphoma. The clinical situation at presentation was often critical and required rapid treatment. Radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy were used initially as lymphoma was the most frequent cause of obstruction. Urgent thoracotomy was resorted to when treatment failed. Survival with no evidence of disease for more than 5 years was observed in three children: one had a cystic lymphangioma, another had a mediastinal abscess, and the third had a Hodgkin's lymphoma. Review of the literature from 1951 to 1976 revealed that only 24/150 children reported with superior vena cava obstruction syndrome had mediastinal tumors; the remainder developed the obstruction after surgical procedures on the heart or vena cava.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004487:Edema / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008202:Lymphangioma / Q000150:complications; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008477:Mediastinal Diseases / Q000150:complications; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D013577:Syndrome; D014683:Vena Cava, Superior; D014690:Venous Pressure