Small Animal Diagnostic Imaging 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 Small Animal Diagnostic Imaging flashcards as text
On thoracic radiographs of a dog, which cardiac silhouette finding is most consistent with left atrial enlargement?
Answer: Elevation of the trachea at the carina
Left atrial enlargement causes dorsal displacement and elevation of the trachea at the carina (mainstem bronchi splaying) on lateral radiographs.
Which ultrasound artifact appears as hyperechoic lines parallel to a curved reflective surface, such as the near wall of a cystic structure?
Answer: Reverberation
Reverberation artifacts appear as repeating hyperechoic lines at regular intervals deep to a highly reflective surface due to the sound beam bouncing back and forth.
A cat presents with pleural effusion. On thoracic radiographs, which finding best differentiates pleural effusion from pulmonary consolidation?
Answer: Retraction of lung lobes from the thoracic wall
Pleural effusion causes lung lobes to retract away from the thoracic wall, whereas consolidated lung lobes remain in contact with the chest wall.
On abdominal radiographs, a 'string of pearls' gas pattern within the bowel wall is most suggestive of which condition?
Answer: Pneumatosis intestinalis
Pneumatosis intestinalis (gas within the intestinal wall) produces a 'string of pearls' or bubbly gas pattern and is associated with intestinal necrosis or ischemia.
When performing musculoskeletal ultrasound in a dog, a tendon appears hyperechoic with a fibrillar pattern when the beam is perpendicular, but becomes hypoechoic when the transducer is angled. This phenomenon is called:
Answer: Anisotropy
Anisotropy is the property of tendons and ligaments whereby echogenicity changes dramatically with beam angle relative to fiber orientation.
Which radiographic view is most useful for evaluating the dens (odontoid process) of the axis (C2) in a dog for atlantoaxial instability?
Answer: Open-mouth ventrodorsal
The open-mouth ventrodorsal view projects the dens through the mouth and allows direct visualization of the atlantoaxial articulation and dens morphology.
On CT of the nasal cavity in a dog with nasal discharge, which finding most strongly suggests fungal rhinitis (Aspergillus) rather than nasal neoplasia?
Answer: Turbinate destruction with preserved nasal septum
Aspergillus rhinitis typically causes extensive turbinate lysis/destruction while often leaving the nasal septum relatively intact, unlike neoplasia which often crosses the midline.