HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Eisenstat, R. S. Articles by Katz, D. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Eisenstat, R. S. Articles by Katz, D. S. Social Bookmarking                      What's this? Hotlight (NEW!) What's Hotlight?

The "Flat Cava" Sign Revisited

What is its Significance in Patients Without Trauma?

¹ Department of Radiology, Winthrop University Hospital, 259 First St., Mineola, NY 11501.
² Brooke Army Medical Center, 3851 Roger Brooke Dr., Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX 78234.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the "flat cava" sign on abdominal CT scans in hospitalized patients without trauma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. CT scans of the abdomen of 500 inpatients imaged for a wide variety of nontraumatic indications were retrospectively reviewed for a flat cava sign. Two radiologists measured the maximal anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the inferior vena cava at four predetermined levels. The medical records of the subset of patients with a flat cava sign—defined as a maximal transverse-to-anteroposterior ratio of 3:1 or greater at one or more of the four levels—were reviewed for evidence of hypovolemia or hypotension.

RESULTS. Seventy patients (14%; 48 women, 22 men) had a flat inferior vena cava present on at least one of the four levels. Of these 70 patients, 21 had definite and three had possible clinical evidence of hypotension or hypovolemia. A flat cava sign isolated to only one level was seen in 22 of the 70 patients, most commonly at the level just below the renal veins, and only four of these 22 patients had evidence of hypotension or hypovolemia.

CONCLUSION. Of the 500 inpatients, 14% had a flat cava sign on at least one of the four levels examined on abdominal CT scans. The majority of these patients with a flat cava sign did not have hypotension or evidence of hypovolemia, but a minority (30%) did.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Kandpal, R. Sharma, S. Gamangatti, D. N. Srivastava, and S. Vashisht Imaging the Inferior Vena Cava: A Road Less Traveled RadioGraphics, May 1, 2008; 28(3): 669 - 689. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Sheth and E. K. Fishman Imaging of the Inferior Vena Cava with MDCT Am. J. Roentgenol., November 1, 2007; 189(5): 1243 - 1251. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Aghayev, M. Sonnenschein, C. Jackowski, M. Thali, U. Buck, K. Yen, S. Bolliger, R. Dirnhofer, and P. Vock Postmortem radiology of fatal hemorrhage: measurements of cross-sectional areas of major blood vessels and volumes of aorta and spleen on MDCT and volumes of heart chambers on MRI. Am. J. Roentgenol., July 1, 2006; 187(1): 209 - 215. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]