THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

Critical Care Ultrasound

Course

Dr Justin Bowra

CCUS Manual 3:
Scanning the IVC

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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

Inferior vena cava (IVC): diameter and collapse

The IVC
n The largest vein in the body.
n Receives all the blood from below the diaphragm.
n Runs adjacent to the aorta, pierces the diaphragm & enters the right atrium (RA).
n As we breathe in, its diameter decreases (NB opposite in ventilated patients).
n As we become dehydrated, it ‘flattens out’.
n With downstream occlusion or fluid overload (eg CCF), it ‘fattens up’.

figure. IVC, aorta, vertebral body (VB). Transverse subcostal image.

Why scan the IVC?

• Non-invasive surrogate for central venous pressure (CVP) measurement
• Rough estimate of fluid status. It can help answer the questions:
• Should I give more IV fluids in this shocked patient? i.e. is the patient likely to be fluid responsive?
• Is there fluid overload or a downstream occlusion (eg PE, tamponade)?

Terminology
• IVCCI = IVC collapsibility index: = (maximum diameter – mininum diameter)/max diameter x100
• IVCD = Maximum IVC diameter
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• HV = hepatic veins
• RAP = right atrial pressure = CVP

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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

5 parameters to think about

1. IVCD
2. IVCCI
3. IVC Shape
4. IVC Response to sniff test

• Maximum IVC diameter (IVCD): this is probably the least reliable guide to fluid status. Why? Because
IVCD depends on:
o The patient (large or small?)
o Athletes (larger IVCD)
o The site measured: narrows as it descends
o Body position (supine v semirecumbent v R/L decubitus)
o Positive pressure ventilation (absolute IVCD increases)
o Downstream obstruction (e.g. PE): IVCD increases

• IVC collapsibility index (IVCCI) = (max – min)/max x100: this is a bit more useful, but IVC
collapsibility index (IVCCI) changes with:
o The site measured: e.g. measuring near the RA ≠ measuring below hepatic veins
o Type of respiration (diaphragmatic breathing = trend to greater collapse IVCCI 0.8, vs quiet resps
IVCCI 0.57) (Kimura et al: 19 healthy volunteers)
o Positive pressure ventilation: IVCCI is reversed
o Downstream obstruction (e.g. PE): IVCCI decreases

Top tip: in ventilated patients, things are different.

• The absolute IVCD is greater
• The IVC gets bigger on inspiration & smaller on expiration (i.e. things are ‘the
wrong way round’)

• Shape (fat or flat?): this is much more useful. Everyone agrees that the IVC is most useful at extremes…
like many other tests.

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IVCCI (hypovolaemia)
= 69%

M-mode image. Flat, colapsing IVC. IVCCI 69%, hypovolaemia

IVCCI (CCF) = 10%

M-mode image. Fat IVC. IVCCI 69%, CCF

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• Response to ‘sniff test’: although this is said to be useful, I don’t find it too valuable for the following
reasons:

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o With a big sniff, the IVC often disappears out of view

o If you’re critically ill, you’re probably already breathing pretty hard (eg acidosis) or can’t really
follow commands anyway

Some numbers to think about in shocked patients

IVCD IVCCI Correlation

Spontaneously <0.9cm >50% Probably fluid responsive
breathing >2cm <15% Probably not fluid responsive
Anything in No-one’s sure
between
Ventilated <1.2cm >18% Probably fluid responsive
>2.5cm <10% Probably not fluid responsive… or PE/PTX/ tamponade or
other diseases that raise the CVP

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But no-one’s too sure!

TOP TIP: Stick to the extremes.

In a shocked patient:

Big IVC, diameter not varying much: CVP is high / patient is unlikely to be fluid responsive.

Small IVC & CVP changing its shape: CVP is low / patient is likely to be fluid responsive.

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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

How to scan the IVC

• Patient position: well, that depends on the patient. Although it’s easier to scan them supine (and a good idea to
lie them down if shocked) they may be sitting up / semi-recumbent if breathless.
• Probe: either the sector (cardiac) or curved probe is fine. Abdo preset is probably better than the cardiac preset,
but there’s not much difference.
• Anywhere you can find the IVC, scan it. it can be surprisingly tricky in some patients.
• Generally three windows are used:
• the subcostal is preferred by echocardiographers
• the transpyloric / epigastric window (traditionally used for AAA scanning) is not bad either
• Scanning through the liver (e.g. from he right upper quadrant) is great, but there’s anecdotal evidence
that this can make the IVC look ‘fuller’ than it really is, when using the long axis.

The three windows

RIGHT
UPPER
QUADRANT
SUBCOSTAL
TRANSPYLORIC

• If you can, scan the IVC in two planes to get a better ‘feel’ for it: both long axis and transverse
• And of course, differentiate between the aorta and IVC as described in the section on AAA scanning.
• M-mode is not as great as it looks. Unless the M-mode line lies along the true transverse diameter of the IVC, it
will overestimate the IVCD and may underestimate the IVCCI, leading to a conclusion that the IVC is ‘fuller’
than you think!

Top tips when scanning the IVC:

1. The IVC collapses non-uniformly, in other words the numbers you come up with (IVCD,
IVCCI) will depend on where you put the calipers! So that’s why you should avoid trying to
be too precise.
2. If using the RUQ window, try and avoid using the long axis. Transverse view will be more
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accurate.
3. Avoid M-mode when starting out: it’s too easy to stuff up.

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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

Figure. Scanning the IVC from the subcostal window, curved probe

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figure. Transverse subcostal image IVC, curved probe

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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

Figure. Scanning the IVC from the transpyloric window, curved probe

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figure. Transverse transpyloric image IVC, curved probe

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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

MID-AXILLARY LINE
As for EFAST

BUT angle the probe

down into the bed

Figure. Scanning the IVC from the RUQ window, curved probe

A WORD OF WARNING ABOUT USING THE RUQ APPROACH:

Like all vessels, the IVC is most accurately measured in its transverse plane. This doesn’t matter so much for
the subcostal & transpyloric approaches, BUT it becomes a problem if you are using the RUQ approach.
Look carefully at the maximum and minimum IVC diameters measured below from the RUQ in the same
healthy volunteer. In the first set of images (longitudinal), the IVC doesn’t seem to collapse much at all: it
looks ‘full’.
In the second set of images (transverse), you can see that the IVC collapses in the AP plane rather than the
transverse plane.
What’s going on here? Well, in the supine patient the IVC’s phasic variation (its collapse with inspiration)
occurs mainly in the AP plane. It doesn’t collapse much at all in the transverse plane.
But the transverse plane is the one that the probe ‘looks along’ from the RUQ!
In other words, if you are scanning from the RUQ try and avoid using the longitudinal
approach. It will overestimate the patient’s volume status and make you think they are ‘full’
when they’re not.

(But you can trust it if it collapses in this view.) 10

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Figure. Maximum (2.37cm) and minimum (2.24cm) IVC diameters obtained in long axis in a healthy
volunteer, curved probe. The IVCCI appears to be (2.37 – 2.24)/2.37 x100 = 5.5%
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Figure. In the same healthy volunteer as above, the probe is now rotated to provide a transverse image of the
IVC. In the AP diameter (which appears horizontal because we’re scanning from the right), maximum
diameter is now 1.71cm and minimum is 0.68cm. The true IVCCI is (1.71 – 0.68)/1.71 x100 = 60%
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WHERE SHOULD I PUT THE CALIPERS?

Short answer: no-one knows.

• A favourite spot is just at/below the IVC confluence with the hepatic veins.
• And it’s probably best to avoid the spot where the IVC dives through the right atrium, because that might
‘artificially hold open’ the IVC.

Long answer:
• The IVC collapses non-uniformly, and no-one has really studied which spot most accurately reflects RA
pressure/CVP.
• In 2010, a study by Wallace et al found that IVCCI measured above hepatic confluence did not correlate
with IVCCI measured at other sites. Wallace’s conclusion was that ‘Clinicians should avoid measuring
IVCCI at the junction of the right atrium and IVC’. But there was no gold standard in that study. So
how did Wallace know which site was the right one? Answer: Wallace didn’t.

Wallace et al, 2010

Site IVCCI

At level of 20%
diaphragm (+/-16%)

At hepatic vein 30%

inlet (+/-21%)

At left renal 35%

vein (+/-22%)

In supine healthy volunteers

• And it gets harder, the more you look at the scientific studies:
o The ASE recommends measuring 1-2cm from RA
o Yanagawa found a correlation (IVCD & RAP) just below diaphragm
o Charron found a correlation (IVCD & RAP) measured <2cm from RA
o Blehar found a correlation (IVCCI & clinical diagnosis CCF) measured just distal to hepatic veins
o Corl found no correlation (IVCI & CO) measured 3cm distal to the RA

• So we don’t even know where best to measure the IVC.

o Should we avoid measuring above the hepatic confluence? (Does the diaphragm hold it open?)
o Should we insist on it? (Is the IVC more sensitive to intra-abdominal pressure and probe pressure
as you go down the diaphragm?)
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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

No-one knows where best to measure the IVC.

• Most of us tend to measure the IVC:

o In the subxiphoid window
o In long axis (sagittal)
o Roughly at the hepatic vein confluence
• And that’s where most of the studies have looked.
• It’s probably best to avoid:
o The spot where the IVC dives through the right atrium, because that might
‘artificially hold open’ the IVC.
o Too far down toward the umbilicus, because the IVC probably is more prone to
fluctuations in probe pressure at this point. (The liver seems to ‘shield’ against this,
higher up.)

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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

WHAT ABOUT M-MODE?

M-mode scanning can be used to capture maximum and minimum diameters on a single image. Sounds great,
right? BUT unless you’re careful, the M-mode line (white line which appears over the B-mode images below)
might not be perpendicular to the IVC.

IVCCI (hypovolaemia) IVCCI (CCF) = 10%

= 69%

figure. empty IVC (IVCCI 69%) and full IVC( IVCCI 69%)

And if it cuts the IVC at an angle as in the 2nd schematic below, then it will overestimate the IVC diameter and
underestimate the IVC collapsibility index. In other words, it will make the IVC appear ‘fuller’ than it really is.

TRUE IVC
IVC DIAMETER
tr

tr

DIAMETER OVERESTIMATED

TOP TIP:
Leave M-mode alone, at least when starting out.
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 THE SAN CRITICAL CARE ULTRASOUND MANUAL

Handy hints and pitfalls

Using the IVC to indicate fluid status is most useful at extremes.

If it’s really skinny & collapsing, or if its really fat and non-collapsing, you can probably trust it.

Beware the ‘falsely dry’ IVC:

• Excess probe pressure while scanning
• High intra-abdominal pressure (eg abdominal compartment syndrome)

And remember that a big IVC occurs in many conditions:

• intravascular overload
• right heart failure
• any acute or chronic cause of cor paulmonale, e.g:
•massive PE
•COPD
•pulmonary hypertension
• any distal [‘downstream’] obstruction to flow: massive PE, tamponade, tension PTX

If the IVC is also difficult to compress by direct pressure with the US probe, then distal obstruction is more likely
eg:
• massive PE
• tension pneumothoraxcardiac tamponade

Remember how dependent the IVC is on patient position [this is why we lie shocked pregnant patients on their
left]. So beware of over-interpretation of your findings!

Keep repeating the scan during ongoing resuscitation: trends are more important than single readings.

Finally, clinical context is everything. For example, a dilated IVC is less meaningful in a patient with chronic
right heart failure.

Treat the patient, not the scan.

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REFERENCES

n Baker, K. Review of Bedside Sonography for Guidance of Fluid Therapy in the

Emergency Department. (unpublished)
n Blehar DJ, Dickman E, Gaspari R. Identification of congestive heart failure via
respiratory variation of inferior vena cava. Am J Em Med 2009;27:71–5.
n Charron C, Caille V, Jardin F, Viellard-Baron A. Echocardiographic
measurement of fluid responsiveness. Curr Op Crit Care 2006; 12(3): 249-54.
n Corl K, Napoli A, Gardiner F. Bedside sonographic measurement of the inferior
vena cava caval index is a poor predictor of fluid responsiveness in emergency
department patients. Emergency Medicine Australasia (2012) 24, 534–539
n Jue J, Chung W, Schiller NB. Does inferior vena cava size predict right atrial
pressures in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. J Am Soc Echocardiogr
1992; 5: 613-9.
n Kimura BJ, Dalugdugan R, Gilcrease GW 3rd, Phan JN, Showalter BK,
Wolfson T. The effect of breathing manner on inferior vena caval diameter.
Eur J Echocardiogr. 2011 Feb;12(2):120-3
n Kircher B, Himelman R, Schiller N. Noninvasive estimation of right atrial
pressure from the inspiratory collapse of the inferior vena cava. AM J Cardiol
1990; 66: 493-6.
n Lang RM, Bierig M, Devereux F et al Recommendations for chamber
quantification: a report from the American Society of Echocardiography’s
guidelines and standards committee and the chamber quantification writing
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Echocardiography, ad branch of the European Society of Cardiology. J Am Soc
Echocardiogr 2005; 18: 1440-63.
n Nagdev AD, Merchant RC, Tirado-Gonzalez A, Sisson CA, Murphy MC.
Emergency Department Bedside Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Caval
Index for Noninvasive Determination of Low Central Venous Pressure
Ann Emerg Med. 2010 Mar;55(3):290-5
n Randazzo MR, Snoey ER, Levitt MA, et al. Accuracy of emergency physician
assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction and central venous pressure
using echocardiography. Acad Emerg Med 2003;10:973–7.
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n Sefidbakht S, Assadsangabi R, Abbasi HR, Nabavizadeh A. Sonographic

measurement of the inferior vena cava as a predictor of shock in trauma
patients. Emerg Radiol 2007; 14(3): 181-185.
n Wallace DJ, Allison M, Stone MB. Inferior vena cava percentage collapse
during resuscitation is affected by the sampling location: an ultrasound study in
healthy volunteers. Acad Emerg Med 2010;17:96–9.
n Yanagawa Y, Nishi K, Sakamoto T, Okada Y. Early diagnosis of hypovolemic
shock by sonographic measurement of inferior vena cava in trauma patients. J
Trauma 2005; 58(4): 825-829.
n Yanagawa Y, Sakamoto T, Okada Y. Hypovolemic shock evaluated by
sonographic measurement of the inferior vena cava during resuscitation in
trauma patients. J Trauma 2007; 63(6): 1245-1248.

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