Temporary extracorporeal jugulosaphenous bypass for the peri-operative management of patients with superior vena caval obstruction: a report of three cases.

摘要

We read with interest the paper by Radauceanu et al. [1] describing a new surgical technique and commenting on the management of patients with large retrosternal goitres causing superior vena caval obstruction. The manuscript provides the histo-logical diagnosis in only one of the three patients. Fine needle aspiration biopsy is considered a mandatory step of all recognised national and international pre-operative protocols because it provides invaluable information that can influence operative decisions. Benign multinodular goitres pose little resistance and the trachea can easily be intubated even though it appears collapsed, whilst locally advanced cancers would pose a significant challenge.