Peripheral Vascular Assessment Flashcards

When measuring toe pressures in a diabetic patient with falsely elevated ABIs, what toe-brachial index (TBI) value is considered indicative of adequate perfusion for wound healing?

Answer: Greater than 0.30

A TBI greater than 0.30 is generally considered the minimum threshold for adequate perfusion to support wound healing in diabetic patients.

Which color Doppler artifact appears as a mosaic of colors within and beyond a high-grade stenosis, indicating turbulent flow?

Answer: Aliasing

Aliasing occurs when the peak Doppler shift exceeds the Nyquist limit, producing a color mosaic pattern that is commonly seen at sites of high-velocity turbulent flow in stenoses.

A patient with aortoiliac occlusive disease (Leriche syndrome) classically presents with which triad of symptoms?

Answer: Bilateral thigh/buttock claudication, impotence, and absent femoral pulses

Leriche syndrome is defined by the classic triad of bilateral thigh and buttock claudication, erectile dysfunction, and absent or diminished femoral pulses due to aortoiliac occlusion.

What is the significance of detecting an intraluminal echogenic focus within an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) sac on B-mode ultrasound?

Answer: It represents mural thrombus, which may be present without acute significance but is documented

Mural thrombus is a common finding within AAA sacs; it is documented and monitored, as it can be a source of distal embolization but does not alone indicate rupture.

During a lower extremity venous reflux study, augmentation is performed. What does the absence of augmentation in a vein segment most likely indicate?

Answer: Acute thrombosis obstructing the vein segment

Absent augmentation during distal compression suggests that thrombus is obstructing venous flow through the segment, preventing the normal flow augmentation response.

Which protocol element is essential when performing a surveillance duplex scan of an endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR)?

Answer: Assessment for endoleak, aneurysm sac size, and graft patency

EVAR surveillance requires systematic assessment for endoleak (blood flow outside the graft within the sac), sac size change, and graft limb patency to detect complications.

When evaluating a patient with suspected thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) using vascular ultrasound, which provocative maneuver is performed to reproduce symptoms?

Answer: EAST test (elevated arm stress test) or Adson maneuver with arm abduction and external rotation

Positional maneuvers such as the Adson maneuver or EAST test with arm elevation, abduction, and external rotation reproduce neurovascular compression at the thoracic outlet during TOS evaluation.