[Adequate venous autoplasty in severe superior vena cava syndrome].

Eleven patients underwent plastic operations on the superior vena cava (SVC) in its severe occlusion. The SVC syndrome was caused by malignant tumors of the right lung and mediastinum in 9 patients, lymphogranulomatosis in one patient, and by chronic fibrous mediastinitis in another patient. The SVC and its main branches were replaced by a multisegmental graft (lineal or bifurcation) of autogenous vein formed by parallel stitching together of 3-5 longitudinally cut segments of the vena saphena magna. Venous drainage was adequate and the graft remained unobstructed for a long time due to the anatomical conformity of the graft to the SVC and the equal diameters of the joined vessels. The immediate and late-term (3 to 26 months) results of plastics with a multisegmental graft or autogenous vein were good.