IVC Nursing Abbreviation

Intravenous Cholangiogram

A radiologic procedure used primarily to look at the larger bile ducts in the liver and the bile ducts outside the liver. IVC can be used to locate gallstones within the bile ducts and identify other causes of obstruction to the flow of bile. For an IVC, an iodine-containing dye is injected intravenously. The dye is removed from blood by the liver which excretes it into the bile. The dye outlines the bile ducts and any gallstones that may be within them.