E. Rosenthal et al., PERCUTANEOUS PACEMAKER LEAD EXTRACTION AND STENT IMPLANTATION FOR SUPERIOR VENA-CAVA OCCLUSION DUE TO PACEMAKER LEADS, The American journal of cardiology, 77(8), 1996, pp. 670
To avoid the complications associated with extraction of old pacemaker
leads, many operators simply abandon the lead and implant a new lead.
This is usually well tolerated, and retrieval of redundant pacemaker
leads is considered to be mandatory only for an infected pacemaker sys
tem.(1) Thrombo-occlusion of the superior vena cava (SVC) around pacin
g leads is rare, but when symptomatic, can be treated by thrombolysis
or surgery.(2) Balloon dilation and stent implantation have also been
described for SVC stenoses.(3,4) In this report, we describe percutane
ous reconstruction of the SVC after total occlusion by endocardial pac
emaker leads.