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Echocardiography of the Inferior Vena Cava, Superior Vena Cava, and Coronary Sinus in Right Heart Failure
Author(s) -
SHALA M. BASHAR A.,
D'CRUZ IVAN A.,
JOHNS CAMEILA,
KAISER JACKIE,
CLARK REGENIA
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.1998.tb00681.x
Subject(s) - medicine , coronary sinus , inferior vena cava , cardiology , persistent left superior vena cava , superior vena cava , right atrium , venous return curve , radiology , hemodynamics
Echocardiographic evaluation of the three major systemic venous channels that drain directly into the right atrium has hitherto received less attention than it deserves. Attention had been paid initially to inferior vena cava dilatation and lack of collapsibility (plethora) as signs of systemic venous congestion. Superior vena cava imaging has not been part of routine echographic evaluation; however, our recent observations on superior vena cava appearance by the right supraclavicular approach provide evidence that dilatation of superior vena cava correlates with that of inferior vena cava as a marker for venous congestion. The coronary sinus caliber, which has been virtually ignored, may also provide echographic signs of systemic congestion, namely, dilatation and lack of normal narrowing during atrial contraction.