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Updated: Dec 6, 2025

Image Acquisition Method for the Sonographic Assessment of the Inferior Vena Cava
Published on: January 13, 2023
Idiopathic Dilatation of Inferior Vena Cava: A Case Report
Ayesha Malik1, Manahil Chaudhry2, Mohammad Abdullah1
1Internal Medicine, Combined Military Hospital Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry, Lahore, PAK.
Abstract:
Inferior vena cava (IVC) is a large collapsible vein whose diameter and extent of inspiratory collapse are known to correlate with right atrial (RA) pressures; hence, IVC dilatation represents a cardiac pathology. IVC dilatation in the absence of any cardiac involvement is termed as idiopathic. We report a case of a 39-year-old male who presented with abdominal pain and had an incidental finding of isolated IVC dilatation with diminished inspiratory collapsibility and normal RA pressures. This case report emphasizes that IVC dilatation may not always have an underlying cardiac pathology.
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