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Valvular Heart Disease Flashcards

6 cards from real ARDMS ECHO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Valvular Heart Disease flashcards as text

  1. What is the typical echocardiographic appearance of carcinoid tricuspid valve disease?

    Answer: Thickened, retracted, immobile leaflets with fixed tricuspid regurgitation

    Carcinoid heart disease causes fibrous plaques on the endocardium, resulting in thickened, retracted, and immobile tricuspid (and pulmonary) leaflets with regurgitation and sometimes stenosis.

  2. Which echocardiographic measurement is used to assess the hemodynamic significance of pulmonary stenosis?

    Answer: Peak Doppler gradient across the pulmonic valve by CW Doppler

    Peak instantaneous gradient across the pulmonic valve by CW Doppler is used to grade PS severity: mild 64 mmHg.

  3. What does severe aortic stenosis with low gradient and reduced EF (low-flow, low-gradient AS) require for diagnosis?

    Answer: Dobutamine stress echocardiography to confirm true severe AS

    Low-dose dobutamine stress echo differentiates true severe AS (fixed AVA that remains <1.0 cm² with increasing flow) from pseudo-severe AS (AVA increases as flow improves).

  4. In a patient with prosthetic aortic valve dysfunction, which Doppler finding suggests significant prosthetic obstruction?

    Answer: DVI (dimensionless velocity index) < 0.25

    A DVI <0.25 for a prosthetic aortic valve suggests significant obstruction (stenosis or pannus/thrombus), indicating the LVOT velocity is much less than the prosthetic jet velocity.

  5. Which echocardiographic sign indicates diastolic mitral leaflet fluttering in aortic regurgitation?

    Answer: High-frequency vibration of the anterior mitral leaflet on M-mode caused by the AR jet

    The AR jet strikes the anterior mitral leaflet in diastole, producing a characteristic high-frequency fluttering pattern visible on M-mode echocardiography.

  6. What is the recommended surveillance echocardiography interval for an asymptomatic patient with severe mitral valve prolapse and moderate mitral regurgitation?

    Answer: Every 1–2 years

    Current guidelines recommend echocardiographic surveillance every 1–2 years for asymptomatic patients with moderate MR due to MVP to monitor for progression to severe MR or LV dysfunction.