Literature Review

Central venous stenosis · Hemodialysis · Arteriovenous access Central venous stenosis is a well-described sequel to the placement of hemodialysis catheters in the central venous system. The presence of an ipsilateral arteriovenous fistula or graft often leads to severe venous dilatation, arm edema and recurrent infections. Vascular access throm-bosis, compromised blood flow and inadequate dialysis delivery are dreaded complications that eventually render the access unusable. We report the case of a 58-year-old male hemo-dialysis patient who developed symptomatic central venous stenosis to illustrate the problem and review the pertinent literature. This patient developed severe enlargement of upper ex-tremity veins due to central venous stenosis. The symptoms were refractory to multiple en-dovascular interventions and eventually necessitated ligation of his arteriovenous fistula. Cen-tral venous stenosis remains a pervasive problem despite advances in our understanding of its etiology and recognition of the enormity of its consequences. Due to the lack of effective therapeutic options, prevention is better than cure. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Base