Peripheral Arterial Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real CCI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Peripheral Arterial Evaluation flashcards as text
A duplex scan reveals a focal aneurysm of the popliteal artery measuring 2.5 cm. Which complication is most commonly associated with popliteal artery aneurysms?
Answer: Thromboembolism causing acute limb ischemia
Popliteal artery aneurysms most commonly cause limb-threatening thromboembolism rather than rupture.
When performing an arterial duplex of the lower extremity, which transducer frequency is most appropriate for imaging the deep femoral (profunda femoris) artery in an obese patient?
Answer: 3–5 MHz
A lower frequency of 3–5 MHz provides greater tissue penetration needed to image deep vessels in obese patients despite reduced resolution.
A patient has a normal ABI at rest but develops claudication after walking. Which test is most appropriate to evaluate for hemodynamically significant PAD?
Answer: Treadmill exercise ABI testing
Treadmill exercise ABI testing reveals pressure gradients across stenoses that are compensated and undetectable at rest.
On a lower extremity arterial duplex scan, spectral broadening within the waveform most likely indicates:
Answer: Turbulent flow associated with stenosis
Spectral broadening occurs when multiple velocities are present simultaneously, which is characteristic of turbulent flow at or downstream from a stenosis.
A patient post-femoral-popliteal bypass graft surveillance duplex shows a PSV of 45 cm/s throughout the graft with a monophasic low-velocity waveform. What does this suggest?
Answer: Graft at high risk for thrombosis due to low flow state
A graft PSV below 45–50 cm/s with a low-flow monophasic pattern indicates a failing graft at high risk for thrombosis.
Which condition can produce falsely elevated ankle-brachial index values, potentially masking severe PAD?
Answer: Medial arterial calcinosis (Mönckeberg's sclerosis)
Medial arterial calcinosis renders vessel walls non-compressible, producing artificially high or non-compressible ABI readings despite severe disease.
During evaluation of a femoral artery pseudoaneurysm post-catheterization, duplex imaging reveals a to-and-fro flow pattern in the neck connecting the pseudoaneurysm sac to the native artery. What does this pattern represent?
Answer: Bidirectional flow characteristic of a pseudoaneurysm neck
The classic to-and-fro pattern in the pseudoaneurysm neck reflects inflow during systole and outflow during diastole between the sac and native artery.