Emerging Technologies and Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review of Jugular Venous Assessment Techniques

Jugular venous (JV) assessment can be a fundamental component of cardiovascular examination, providing valuable insights into right-sided heart function and central venous pressure. Traditional methods are subjective and prone to inter-observer variability, affecting diagnostic accuracy. Technological advancements offer potential solutions by providing objective, consistent, and reproducible measurements. This review aims to present a comprehensive analysis of technology based JV assessment techniques reported in the literature from 2015 to 2024, focusing on their technical characteristics, diagnostic performance, clinical applications, and associated limitations. This represents the first systematic review across all technological platforms for JV assessment, providing evidence-based recommendations for method selection based on clinical context, accuracy requirements, and resource availability. A total of 44 studies were included, comprising a diverse range of JV assessment techniques. Ultrasound-based methods were the most extensively studied, demonstrating strong correlations with invasive measurements and high diagnostic accuracy confirming their suitability for acute care settings where high diagnostic accuracy is essential. Optical and camera-based methods, including photoplethysmographic imaging and infrared thermography, showed promise for non-contact and remote JV assessment, making them well-suited for applications in telemedicine and infection control. Wearable devices and sensors, such as plethysmography and gyroscope sensors, offer promising solutions for continuous and real-time monitoring in ambulatory and chronic disease management contexts. Other specialized modalities, such as MRI and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), were primarily applied to specific populations, including pregnant women and dialysis patients, where conventional techniques may be limited. Despite these advancements, challenges such as small sample sizes, variability in methodologies, and technological limitations were identified. Recent advancements in JV assessment techniques offer enhancements in cardiovascular diagnostics and patient care. Future research should focus on standardizing measurement protocols, conducting larger multi-center studies to properly validate these technological approaches, and evaluating the integration of these innovative techniques into clinical practice to improve diagnostic precision and patient outcomes.