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Image Acquisition Method for the Sonographic Assessment of the Inferior Vena Cava
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Inferior Vena Cava Ultrasonography for Volume Status Evaluation: An Intriguing Promise Never Fulfilled

Pierpaolo Di Nicolò1, Guido Tavazzi2,3, Luca Nannoni4

  • 1Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, S. Maria della Scaletta Hospital, 40026 Imola, Italy.

Journal of Clinical Medicine
|March 29, 2023
PubMed

The correct determination of volume status is a fundamental component of clinical evaluation as both hypovolaemia (with hypoperfusion) and hypervolaemia (with fluid overload) increase morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. As inferior vena cava (IVC) accounts for two-thirds of systemic venous return, it has been proposed as a marker of volaemic status by indirect assessment of central venous pressure or fluid responsiveness. Although ultrasonographic evaluation of IVC is relatively easy to perform, correct interpretation of the results may not be that simple and multiple pitfalls hamper its wider application in the clinical setting. In the present review, the basic elements of the pathophysiology of IVC behaviour, potential applications and limitations of its evaluation are discussed.

Keywords:
central venous pressurecollapsibility indexdistensibility indexfluid responsivenessinferior vena cava ultrasonographyvolume status

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