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Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Removal

During Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filter placement, a filtering device is placed within the IVC, a large vein in the abdomen that returns blood from the lower half of the body to the heart. Blood clots in the veins of the legs and pelvis can occasionally travel to the lungs where they may cause a pulmonary embolism or blockage. IVC filters help reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism by trapping large clots and preventing them from reaching the heart and lungs. They are used in patients who don't respond to or cannot be given conventional medical therapy such as blood thinners.

Your doctor will instruct you on how to prepare for the procedure. You will be advised on any changes to your regular medication schedule and whether you should not eat or drink before your procedure. Tell your doctor if there's a possibility you are pregnant and discuss any recent illnesses, medical conditions, allergies and medications you're taking. Leave jewelry at home and wear loose, comfortable clothing. You may be asked to wear a gown. Plan to have someone drive you home afterward.

What is Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Removal?

In an inferior vena cava filter placement procedure, interventional radiologists use image guidance to place a filter in the inferior vena cava (IVC), the large vein in the abdomen that returns blood from the lower half of the body to the heart.

Blood clots that develop in the veins of the leg or pelvis, a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), occasionally break up and large pieces of the clot can travel to the lungs. An IVC filter is a small metal device that traps large clot fragments and prevents them from traveling through the vena cava vein to the heart and lungs, where they could cause severe complications such as pain, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath or even death.

Until recently, IVC filters were available only as permanently implanted devices. Newer filters, called optionally retrievable filters, may be left in place permanently or have the option to potentially be removed from the blood vessel later. This removal may be performed when the risk of clot travelling to the lung has passed. This should be assessed by a physician or the interventional radiologist who inserted the IVC filter sometime after placement, ideally less than six months after insertion. Removing an IVC filter eliminates any long term risks of filter fracture or recurrent DVT. However, it does not address the cause of the DVT. Your referring physician will determine if blood thinners are still necessary. Not all retrievable IVC filters should be removed if the risk of clots traveling to the lung persists and if blood thinners continue to be unusable. These filters can be left in place as permanent filters, but many filters can be removed even after being in place for several years.

What are some common uses of the procedure?

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are placed in patients who have a history of or are at risk of developing blood clots in the legs, including patients:

  • diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
  • with pulmonary embolus.
  • who are trauma victims.
  • who are immobile.

IVC filters are used when patients cannot be successfully treated by other methods, including blood thinning agents.

How should I prepare?



Also inform your doctor about recent illnesses or other medical conditions.


You will likely be instructed not to eat or drink anything after midnight before your procedure. Your doctor will tell you which medications you may take in the morning.


If you are diabetic and take insulin, you should receive instructions on eating and insulin dose from the interventional radiologist, as your usual insulin dose may need to be adjusted on the day of the procedure.



What does the equipment look like?

In this procedure, a catheter, iodine contrast (x-ray dye), x-ray or ultrasound equipment for imaging guidance and an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter may be used.








How does the procedure work?

Using image guidance, a catheter is inserted through the skin into a large vein in the neck or upper leg and advanced to the inferior vena cava in the abdomen. Contrast material will be injected into the vein to assess for proper positioning of the IVC filter. The IVC filter is then placed through the catheter and into the vein. Once it is in the correct position, the interventional radiologist will release the filter, allowing it to fully expand and attach itself to the walls of the blood vessel.

To remove an IVC filter, a special catheter is inserted into a large vein in the neck or groin and advanced to the site of the filter in the vena cava. A removable IVC filter has a small hook or knob at one end that enables the catheter to capture the filter, close it, pull it into the catheter and then withdraw it from the body.

How is the procedure performed?

Image-guided, minimally invasive procedures such as IVC filter placement and removal are most often performed by a specially trained interventional radiologist in an interventional radiology suite or occasionally in the operating room.


You will be positioned on your back.




Your physician will numb the area with a local anesthetic.

A very small skin incision is made at the site.


Contrast material may be injected into the inferior vena cava to help guide the catheter and verify precise placement of the IVC filter in the blood vessel.


Your intravenous line will be removed.

The procedure is usually completed within one hour.

What will I experience during and after the procedure?







If your IVC filter was inserted through a vein in your neck, you should be able to resume your normal activities within 24 hours. If your filter was inserted through a vein in your groin, you should avoid driving for 24 hours and lifting heavy objects and climbing stairs for 48 hours. Your physician may provide additional post-procedure instructions.

Who interprets the results and how do I get them?




What are the benefits vs. risks?


  • The filter has a high rate of success in protecting lungs from serious pulmonary embolus (PE) in patients who have failed conventional medical therapy or cannot be given conventional medical therapy.


  • There is a chance that the IVC filter can lodge in the wrong place, change position or penetrate through the vein (which can rarely lead to injury of a nearby organ).
  • The IVC filter or a piece of the IVC filter may break loose and travel to the heart or lungs causing injury or death.
  • Rarely, IVC filers become so filled with clots that they block all flow in the blood vessel, causing swelling in the legs.
  • In some cases, retrievable filters become scarred to the vein and cannot be removed, in which case they are left in permanently (as they are also designed to do).

Additional Information and Resources

This page was reviewed on April 30, 2018

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