CSC CSC Diagnostic Imaging & Procedures 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In echocardiography, the parasternal long axis view best assesses:
- Right ventricular outflow tract only
- Mitral valve, aortic valve, left ventricle, and aortic root (Correct answer)
- Tricuspid valve and inferior vena cava
- Pulmonary veins and left atrial appendage
Correct answer: Mitral valve, aortic valve, left ventricle, and aortic root
The parasternal long axis (PLAX) view provides excellent visualization of the mitral valve, aortic valve, left ventricle, and aortic root.
Question 2: Doppler echocardiography measures:
- Myocardial thickness and mass
- Blood flow velocity and direction (Correct answer)
- Valve leaflet thickness
- Pericardial effusion volume
Correct answer: Blood flow velocity and direction
Doppler echocardiography uses the Doppler effect to measure blood flow velocities and directions within the heart and great vessels.
Question 3: A stress echocardiogram is used primarily to detect:
- Pericardial disease
- Valvular stenosis at rest
- Inducible myocardial ischemia (Correct answer)
- Atrial septal defects
Correct answer: Inducible myocardial ischemia
Stress echocardiography identifies regions of inducible ischemia by comparing wall motion at rest versus stress (exercise or pharmacologic).
Question 4: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is preferred over transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for evaluating:
- Pericardial effusion
- Left atrial thrombus and aortic dissection (Correct answer)
- Right ventricular size
- Pulmonary hypertension
Correct answer: Left atrial thrombus and aortic dissection
TEE provides superior image quality for posterior structures like the left atrial appendage and descending aorta, making it ideal for detecting thrombus and aortic dissection.
Question 5: Color flow Doppler in echocardiography encodes blood flow direction as:
- Red = away from transducer, Blue = toward transducer
- Red = toward transducer, Blue = away from transducer (Correct answer)
- Green = normal flow, Red = turbulent flow
- Yellow = stenotic flow, Blue = regurgitant flow
Correct answer: Red = toward transducer, Blue = away from transducer
By convention (BART), red indicates flow toward the transducer and blue indicates flow away from the transducer in color Doppler imaging.
Question 6: The E/e' ratio in tissue Doppler imaging is used to estimate:
- Systolic function
- Left ventricular filling pressures (diastolic function) (Correct answer)
- Right ventricular systolic pressure
- Aortic valve area
Correct answer: Left ventricular filling pressures (diastolic function)
The E/e' ratio correlates with left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and is a key parameter for assessing diastolic function and filling pressures.
CSC CSC Diagnostic Imaging & Procedures 1
In echocardiography, the parasternal long axis view best assesses: