Superior vena cava reconstruction via a posterolateral thoracotomy without venous occlusion for locally advanced lung cancer: report of a case

Surg Today. 2009;39(9):787-9. doi: 10.1007/s00595-008-3927-z. Epub 2009 Sep 24.

Abstract

We performed a right upper lobectomy with prosthetic replacement of the superior vena cava (SVC) through a posterolateral thoracotomy in a 65-year-old man undergoing complete resection of a locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with invasion of the SVC. Instead of using a vascular shunt, the right atrium and a right brachiocephalic vein (BCV) were anastomosed using a ringed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft. During the anastomosis, vascular flow was maintained through the left BCV. By using this technique, SVC resection and reconstruction during lung cancer surgery can be safely performed through a posterolateral thoracotomy without blood flow interruption.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / methods*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Male
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Pneumonectomy / methods
  • Thoracotomy
  • Veins
  • Vena Cava, Superior / pathology
  • Vena Cava, Superior / surgery*