The Evaluation Value of Inferior Vena Cava Collapse Index Combined with Serum IGFBP7 and sST2 for the Condition of Patients with Right Ventricular Dysfunction

FENG Cheng; LYU Jianrui; WANG Jin; ZHANG Hongli

doi:10.12102/j.issn.1672-1349.2026.01.014

Abstract：Objective: To explore the clinical value of the inferior vena cava collapsibility index combined with serum insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) in assessing the condition of patients with right ventricular dysfunction. Methods: Medical records of 112 obese patients admitted to our hospital from June 2022 to December 2023 were collected, and they were divided into a right ventricular dysfunction group (57 cases) and a non-right ventricular dysfunction group (55 cases) based on whether they had right ventricular dysfunction. Eighty-seven healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations during the same period were selected as the control group. The inferior vena cava collapsibility index was measured using a color Doppler ultrasound device, and serum levels of IGFBP7 and sST2 were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The relationship between these indicators and the condition of patients with right ventricular dysfunction was analyzed. Results: Comparison of the inferior vena cava collapsibility index among the three groups showed that the right ventricular dysfunction group had lower values than the non-right ventricular dysfunction group, which in turn had lower values than the control group (P < 0.05). Serum levels of IGFBP7 and sST2 were higher in the right ventricular dysfunction group compared to the non-right ventricular dysfunction group, which was higher than the control group (P < 0.05). According to the heart function classification criteria, the 57 patients with right ventricular dysfunction were divided into Group II (15 cases), Group III (31 cases), and Group IV (11 cases). The results showed that the inferior vena cava collapsibility index was lower in Group IV than in Group III, which was lower than in Group II (P < 0.05). Serum levels of IGFBP7 and sST2 were higher in Group IV than in Group III, which was higher than in Group II (P < 0.05). After a 6-month follow-up, 10 out of 55 patients with complete follow-up data experienced adverse cardiovascular events (poor prognosis group), while the remaining 45 were classified as the good prognosis group. The inferior vena cava collapsibility index was lower in the poor prognosis group compared to the good prognosis group (P < 0.05), and serum levels of IGFBP7 and sST2 were higher in the poor prognosis group compared to the good prognosis group (P < 0.05). The predictive efficacy of the inferior vena cava collapsibility index, serum IGFBP7, and sST2 levels for poor prognosis in patients with right ventricular dysfunction was high, with the highest efficacy observed when combining all three markers. When the Youden index was 0.544, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.816, with a sensitivity of 90.00% and a specificity of 64.44%. Conclusion: Serum levels of IGFBP7 and sST2 are abnormally elevated, and the inferior vena cava collapsibility index is abnormally reduced in patients with right ventricular dysfunction, which are related to heart function classification and prognosis. These indicators can serve as effective tools for predicting prognosis and evaluating the condition of patients with right ventricular dysfunction, with combined detection showing higher predictive efficacy.