Assessment of inferior vena cava diameter by echocardiography in normal Indian population: A prospective observational study.

Background: The assessment of the IVC diameter is self explanatory for evaluation of the individuals' volume status. Studies regarding IVC diameter estimation in normal individuals are scarce.

Aim: The present study aimed to define normal criteria of size and dynamics of the inferior vena cava (IVC) by M-mode echocardiography in normal individuals.

Methods: This was a prospective, single-center, observational study carried out at Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research between December 2011 and April 2014. A total of 4126 consecutive individuals were enrolled. Normal IVC diameter was measured both during inspiration and expiration by M-mode echocardiography in subcostal view.

Results: The IVC diameter varied from 0.46 to 2.26cm in the study individuals. The IVC diameter ranged from 0.97 to 2.26cm during expiration and from 0.46 to 1.54cm during inspiration. A strong correlation was observed between IVC diameter and height, weight and BMI of the individuals, calculated using Pearson correlation. The correlation coefficients for expiratory and inspiratory IVC diameters as a function of BMI were 0.686 and 0.7, respectively.

Conclusions: Our findings corroborate the correlations between height, weight and BMI with IVC diameter. Future studies could be focused to bring about a steadfast formula for calculating IVC diameter based on demographic parameters of an individual.