Are Downhill Varices an Overlooked Entity of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleedings?

Table 2

Reported reasons for downhill varices (summary).

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Superior vena cava syndrome:

 (i) Thrombosis of the vena jugularis, truncus brachiocephalicus, and superior vena cava because of different reasons [16]

 (ii) Fibrosing mediastinitis [13]

 (iii) Venulitis, vasculo-Behcet’s syndrome [7]

 (iv) Dialysis catheter, atrial catheter [11]

 (v) Central venous catheter [17]

 (vi) Cardiac pacemaker implantation/cardiac synchronization therapy defibrillator [6]

 (vii) Port implantation

 (viii) Tumors of the upper mediastinum [8]:

  (a) Retrosternal, intrathoracic goiter

  (b) Thymoma

  (c) Morbus Hodgkin

  (d) Lymphoma [15]

  (e) Carcinoma of the thyroid

  (f) Bronchial carcinoma [16]

  (g) Metastases (breast cancer, bronchialcarcinoma)

(i) Surgical ligature of the superior vena cava

(ii) Castleman syndrome [12]

(iii) Pulmonary hypertension

(iv) Hypercontractile esophagus motility disorders

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