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GEORGE MILLES, M.D.

Arch Intern Med. 1932;50(5):759-765.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Obstruction of the superior vena cava is the cause of the outstanding symptoms in many cases of mediastinal pathologic conditions. However, isolated stenosis of this vessel is distinctly rare.

Interference with the return flow of blood to the heart through the superior vena cava may arise from a wide variety of conditions in the mediastinum or in the vessel itself.

Of these causes, aneurysm,¹ almost universally of the aorta, is the most common. This lesion may compress and thereby result in slow partial mechanical obstruction of the superior vena cava and give rise to a train of symptoms due to this compression and compression of other mediastinal structures, such as the recurrent laryngeal nerves, trachea and esophagus. On the other hand, an aneurysm of the aorta may perforate into the vein, producing sudden functional stenosis of the vena cava as a result of the tremendous head pressure opposing the . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
CHICAGO

From the Department of Pathology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, and the medical service, Lutheran Deaconess Hospital.

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