| Summary points: | A 54-year-old African-American female presents with a 2-month history of recurrent spasm and swelling of the neck and face, mainly noticed in the morning and resolving later in the day. She had a history of pacemaker insertion in 1997 for complete heart block, but it was removed in 2007 because of persistent infection of the pacemaker site. Other medical history, clinical examination, current medications, electrocardiogram, computed tomography of the chest, arm venogram, and percutaneous endovascular procedures are described; images provided. The authors discuss pacemaker-induced superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome, a relatively uncommon complication of pacemaker, and recommend that SVC syndrome be suspected in patients with history of pacemaker insertion who present with neck spasm or neck swelling. |
Pacemaker Induced Superior Vena Cava Syndrome: A Case Report
