Radiology
The SVC is the large vein that carries blood from the head, neck and arms back to the heart. If this vein becomes obstructed (narrowed) it can result in swelling of the face and arms as well as headaches and breathlessness. An SVC stent is a metal mesh tube that can be placed inside the vein to hold it open and improve blood flow.
Please read the following information carefully.
Before this appointment you may have had an MRI scan, CT scan or an ultrasound scan of your blood vessels. This was to help us plan your treatment.
What do I need to do to prepare for the procedure?
You will be admitted to the ward in the morning of the procedure and will undergo some blood tests.
In the radiology department, you will be seen by a Radiologist (a health care professional who uses imaging machines to diagnose and treat illnesses) who will discuss the procedure with you. You will be given the opportunity to ask any questions you have.
Medication
Please continue to take your regular medication and bring it with you when you come for your appointment.
- Diabetes controlled with diet or oral medication (tablets): You should continue with your normal regime.
- Insulin controlled: For morning appointments, you should continue as normal, taking your insulin and breakfast no later than 7a.m. For afternoon appointments you should have your insulin and a light lunch no later than 12 noon.
Before your procedure
You will be admitted to the ward a few hours before the procedure to check your general health and carry out any necessary tests. You will be brought to the Radiology department for your appointment time.
During the procedure
The radiologist (x-ray doctor) will inject local anaesthetic into the skin of the groin or the neck numbing the area. A puncture is made into the blood vessel and a long fine tube
(catheter) is inserted. X-rays are used to position the catheter and carry out the procedure.
With the tube in position dye is injected into the blood vessels and x-ray pictures are taken. The dye may make you feel hot for a few seconds, but this will soon pass. You may feel as if you have passed urine, this feeling is common, but nothing will have happened. When the test is over, the dye passes out of the body in the urine (but you will not notice this and the urine will not change colour).
The dye will help locate the area of narrowing in order to guide the stent into the correct position.
The stent is a small metal mesh tube that expands in your blood vessel to keep it open and allow the blood to flow better (it is like metal scaffolding to hold vessels open). It is fed into your blood vessel the same way as the catheter.
Afterwards
You will be taken back to the ward to rest for a few hours. It is important that you lie flat so that the puncture site does not bleed again. The nursing staff will check the puncture site and take your pulse and blood pressure at regular intervals. We will give you an aftercare information leaflet before you leave us.
Are there any risks or complications?
The radiologist will talk to you individually. All risks and complications are explained before the procedure and before you sign the consent form. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have.
Some degree of bruising is quite common, and this normally disappears in a few days.
Occasionally the procedure is not successful, usually if this happens, the circulation of blood is unchanged and so you will be no worse. If the procedure is unsuccessful other treatments may need to be considered.
Very rarely the procedure is not successful and the circulation actually worsens. If this is a particular risk in your case, your Radiologist will discuss this with you.
Further information
For further information you may wish to visit the following websites and look at the ‘patients’ sections. However as these are not our websites, we cannot guarantee the content.
- www.vascularsociety.org.uk
- Superior vena cava obstruction (SVCO) | Macmillan Cancer Support
- Overview | Stent placement for vena caval obstruction | Guidance | NICE
Radiation dose and risk
decades, turn cancerous. The risk of this happening is very small compared to the normal lifetime risk of developing cancer which is 1 in 2.
We are also all exposed to background radiation every day. The risk of long-term effects is considered when the healthcare team decide whether someone needs an x-ray examination and radiation doses are kept as low as possible. For this examination radiation dose levels are typically equivalent to around 1 to 2 years of background radiation. The associated risk is less than 1 in 1000 – Low.
Is there anything I should tell the staff?
For patients who have ovaries and are between the ages of 12 and 55, the x-ray department has a legal responsibility to ensure that this examination is performed within ten days of the first day of your menstrual period.
Please contact the x-ray department if you are pregnant or if this appointment is beyond the ten day requirement, and another appointment will be arranged for you.
Contact us
If you require further information please contact us on:
Telephone: 01642 854822
Email: [email protected]
Patient experience
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would like your feedback. If you wish to share your experience about your care and treatment or on behalf of a patient, please contact The Patient Experience Department who will advise you on how best to do this.
This service is based at The James Cook University Hospital but also covers the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, our community hospitals and community health services.
To ensure we meet your communication needs please inform the Patient Experience Department of any special requirements, for example; braille or large print.
T: 01642 835964
E: [email protected]