Endovascular treatment of intrahepatic inferior vena cava obstruction from malignant hepatocellular tumor thrombus utilizing Luminexx self-expanding nitinol stents

Inferior vena cava (IVC) obstruction is a well-described clinical entity. Most IVC obstructions from malignant neoplasms are a direct result of tumor compression [Oviedo J, Cerda S. Vascular invasion by hepatocellular carcinoma. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2001;125: 454–5; Furui S, Sawada S, et al. Gianturco stent placement in malignant caval obstruction: analysis of factors for predicting the outcome. Radiology 1995;195:147–52; Fletcher WS, Lakin PC, et al. Results of treatment of inferior vena cava syndrome with expandable metallic stents. Arch Surg 1998;133:935–8]. The symptoms of IVC obstruction include progressive ascites, scrotal edema and lower body edema. These constellations of symptoms are described as IVC syndrome and are devastating to a patient with end-stage cancer. We describe a palliative therapy utilizing Luminexx nitinol self-expanding stents to treat intracaval hepatoma thrombus obstructing the IVC. The procedure is rapidly performed, technically reliable, and has essentially no morbidity or mortality. This procedure can be performed in the interventional radiology suite with excellent results resolving the IVC syndrome soon after placement of the stents. We believe endovascular stenting as an excellent palliative therapy for patients with IVC syndrome and should be the treatment of choice for caval obstructions due to intraluminal tumor thrombus.