Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Demystifying Venous Excess Ultrasound (VExUS): Image Acquisition and Interpretation
Published on: May 16, 2025
Causes and consequences of systemic venous hypertension
Basil M Paulus1, Sheharyar Ali, Ayhan A Zia
1Department of Radiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee 38163, USA.
Abstract:
The causes of systemic venous hypertension (SVHT) include cardiac- and circulatory-related factors, whereas its consequences include the congestion of hepatic, splanchnic, and peripheral circulations, which contribute significantly to the clinical congestive heart failure syndrome. Based on a disequilibrium in hydrostatic and oncotic pressures, the increased filtration and formation of interstitial fluid at these sites with an accompanying increase in lymph flow mandates an increment in lymphatic drainage to protect against such congestion and the appearance of edema and ascites. However, lymph flow via the thoracic duct into systemic veins is opposed by elevations in central venous pressure. Various management strategies have the potential to prevent and/or correct SVHT. The case of a 54-year-old man with a dilated cardiomyopathy who presented with decompensated biventricular failure, expressed as anasarca and ascites, is used to illustrate the importance of SVHT.
Related Concept Videos
Venous Thrombosis I: Introduction
Varicose Veins I: Introduction
Venous Thrombosis IV: Nursing Management
Venous Thrombosis II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Overview of Systemic Veins
The coronary sinus, the heart's principal vein, resides in the coronary sulcus on the heart's posterior aspect. This broad venous channel receives nearly all venous blood from the myocardium, the heart muscle. It is fed by three primary veins: the great cardiac vein, the middle...
Venous Return
What is Venous Return?
Venous return refers to the rate at which blood flows back to the heart from the body's peripheral veins. It's an integral part of the circulatory system as it...

