Internal jugular veins must be measured before catheterisation

Abstract Study objective The study objective is to determine the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the right and left internal jugular vein (IJV) in supine position in healthy subjects. Design This is a prospective, nonrandomized study. Setting The setting is a university hospital. Patients The patients are 185 consenting healthy subjects. Interventions B-mode ultrasonography examinations of the right and left IJV were performed with the use of a linear 14-MHz transducer at the level of the cricoid cartilage. The CSA of the examined vessels was measured in a supine position. Measurements and main results The CSA on both sides differed by up to 850%. There were no statistically significant differences between CSA of IJVs in men and women. The CSA of the IJV on the right side was significantly greater than on the left side. The right IJV was more often classified as the "dominant" vessel (CSA being more than twice as large as the opposite side). A "small" vessel (CSA ≤ 0.4 cm 2 ) was found in 54 cases (14.6%). In 9 subjects (4.9%), they were detected bilaterally. Conclusion The CSA of IJVs varies widely. Although the CSA was found to be often greater on the right than on the left side, a "small" vessel may occur on both sides.