Anatomy & Physiology for Nuclear Medicine Flashcards

Which coronary artery supplies the lateral wall of the left ventricle and is most commonly assessed in myocardial perfusion imaging?

Answer: Left circumflex artery (LCx)

The left circumflex artery (LCx) supplies the lateral wall of the left ventricle, and perfusion defects in this territory appear on the lateral wall in myocardial perfusion studies.

In a thyroid uptake study, which anatomical structure must be identified to ensure the probe is correctly positioned over the thyroid?

Answer: Thyroid cartilage (Adam's apple)

The thyroid cartilage (Adam's apple) is used as the key anatomical landmark to center the uptake probe over the thyroid gland.

During a renal scan, tracer is seen accumulating in the renal pelvis with delayed drainage. Which anatomical structure is the likely site of obstruction?

Answer: Ureteropelvic junction (UPJ)

Obstruction at the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) prevents drainage from the renal pelvis, causing tracer retention seen on MAG3 or DTPA renal scans.

Which lung lobe is located in the right lower zone and is supplied by the right lower lobe bronchus, commonly assessed in V/Q scans?

Answer: Right lower lobe

The right lower lobe is the largest lobe of the right lung and is commonly implicated in pulmonary emboli detected by V/Q scanning.

In hepatobiliary imaging, which sphincter controls bile flow from the common bile duct into the duodenum?

Answer: Sphincter of Oddi

The sphincter of Oddi regulates bile and pancreatic juice flow into the duodenum; dysfunction causes impaired biliary drainage seen on HIDA scans.

In a bone scan, which anatomical region shows the highest normal physiologic uptake due to active red bone marrow in adults?

Answer: Axial skeleton (spine, pelvis, sternum)

The axial skeleton contains the most active hematopoietic (red) marrow in adults, resulting in the highest normal bone scan uptake in the spine, pelvis, and sternum.

Which segment of the left ventricle corresponds to the apex and is primarily supplied by the left anterior descending (LAD) artery?

Answer: Apical region

The apical region of the left ventricle is the territory of the LAD artery; apical perfusion defects on MPI indicate LAD disease.