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Ear, nose and throat
Dysphagia as a manifestation in superior vena cava syndrome
  1. Noelia Ortega Beltrá1,
  2. Sara María Ferrero Coloma1,
  3. Manuel Matías Sánchez1 and
  4. Francisco Pons Rocher2,3
  1. 1 Otorhinolaringology, Hospital General de Elda, Elda, Valenciana, Spain
  2. 2 Cirurgia (Otorhinolaringology), Universitat de Valencia Facultat de Medicina i Odontologia, Valencia, Spain
  3. 3 Otorrinolaringologia, Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia, Spain
  1. Correspondence to Dr Francisco Pons Rocher; francisco.rocher{at}uv.es

Abstract

The differential diagnosis of dysphagia and dyspnoea with cervicofacial oedema is wide and includes diseases with variable prognosis that may require an urgent approach. This article presents the case of a middle-aged man who came to the emergency room referring to the symptoms described, with a history of central venous access established approximately 4 years ago. The patient was diagnosed with superior vena cava syndrome and treated with anticoagulants and removal of the catheter. After a week of admission with anticoagulation, the patient clinically improved with a considerable decrease in thrombus and pharyngolaryngeal and subcutaneous mucosal oedema. In the differential diagnosis of dysphagia and dyspnoea, we must also consider systemic diseases, and more specifically, these symptoms such as those described, and think about this entity because of its severity.

  • Venous thromboembolism
  • Ear, nose and throat/otolaryngology
  • Emergency medicine
  • Interventional radiology

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2023-257231

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors NOB, SMFC and MMS were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content. All authors gave final approval of the manuscript.

    • Funding This study was funded by Universitat de València (200177).

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.