Fig. 9

An 84-year-old female patient with a central venous catheter. Contrast CT of the upper thorax with axial reconstruction. The most striking finding is shown on both the shoulder girdle and in the thoracic wall in the area of the internal mammary group, where there are extensive mediastinal collateral veins with large calibre and a strongly contrasted azygos vein. The internal jugular veins show a slight difference, with a larger calibre right versus left internal jugular vein in the neck portion; however, free contrast is seen on both sides. Finally, a contrast media segment appears in the area of the vena bracheocephalica after the confluence of the innominate vein on the superior vena cava close to the wall, where the remainder of the vessel around the Permcath, which has been inserted from the right, is more distended and does not show contrast (white arrow). This primarily corresponds to a longer vena cava superior thrombosis segment around the catheter