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Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome comprises a constellation of clinical signs and symptoms caused by obstruction of blood flow through the SVC. The management of patients with life-threatening SVC syndrome is evolving from radiation therapy to endovascular therapy as the first-line treatment. There is a paucity of data and societal guidelines with regard to the management of SVC syndrome. This paper aims to update the practicing interventionalists with the contemporary and the evolving therapeutic approach to SVC syndrome. In addition, the review will focus on endovascular techniques, including catheter-directed thrombolysis, angioplasty, and stenting, and their associated complications.

There have been 2 main treatments for acute pulmonary embolism (PE)—anticoagulant therapy alone or systemic thrombolytic therapy. Although systemic thrombolytic therapy is effective at preventing deaths from PE, it markedly increases bleeding, including intracranial and fatal bleeding [(1)][1].