Diagnostic Imaging Interpretation Flashcards
7 cards from real NAVLE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Diagnostic Imaging Interpretation flashcards as text
Which finding on thoracic radiographs of a cat is MOST suggestive of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)?
Answer: Valentine-shaped heart on VD view with left atrial enlargement
HCM in cats classically produces a Valentine or bivalve-shaped cardiac silhouette on the VD view due to biatrial enlargement.
On abdominal radiographs, retroperitoneal effusion is BEST identified by:
Answer: Loss of renal and sublumbar muscle detail with preserved peritoneal serosal detail
Retroperitoneal effusion selectively obliterates retroperitoneal structures (kidneys, sublumbar muscles) while intraperitoneal serosal detail (bladder, gut) may remain visible.
What is the significance of 'air bronchograms' on thoracic radiographs?
Answer: Air-filled bronchi are visible because surrounding alveoli are fluid-filled, indicating alveolar disease
Air bronchograms occur when alveolar consolidation or fluid makes normally invisible air-filled bronchi visible by contrast.
On ultrasound of the urinary bladder, a non-shadowing, gravity-dependent echogenic material that shifts with patient repositioning is MOST consistent with:
Answer: Cystic calculi too small to shadow (sludge/crystalluria)
Fine echogenic material that is gravity-dependent and moves freely with repositioning but does not shadow is consistent with fine crystalluria or bladder sludge.
In nuclear scintigraphy, a 'cold spot' on a thyroid scan in a dog MOST likely represents:
Answer: Nonfunctional or necrotic tissue within the thyroid
A cold (photopenic) area on thyroid scintigraphy indicates reduced radionuclide uptake, consistent with nonfunctional, necrotic, or cystic tissue.
On orthogonal radiographs of a long bone, periosteal new bone with a 'sunburst' pattern is MOST characteristic of:
Answer: Primary bone tumor (osteosarcoma)
A sunburst or spiculated periosteal reaction radiating perpendicular to the cortex is a classic aggressive pattern associated with osteosarcoma.
Which imaging modality is BEST for evaluating the extent of soft tissue masses adjacent to bone in a dog?
Answer: MRI
MRI provides superior soft tissue contrast resolution compared to CT, radiography, and scintigraphy, making it the modality of choice for soft tissue mass characterization.