Superior vena cava syndrome presenting as persistent erythematous oedema of the face

The superior vena cava syndrome occurs when extrinsic compression or intral uminal occlusion impedes blood flow through this vessel. Detecting the char acteristic cutaneous features can lead to an early diagnosis of this condit ion. We report a 73-year-old patient with a 4-year-history of erythematous oedema of the face. The underlying cause was a large restrosternal goitre o bstructing the superior vena cava. Subtotal thyroidectomy led to dramatic i mprovement of all dermatologic symptoms.