DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Imaging Interpretation Questions and Answers

Question 1

A 7-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with a known history of myxomatous mitral valve disease presents with acute tachypnea. Thoracic radiographs are taken. Which radiographic finding is most characteristic of cardiogenic pulmonary edema in this dog?

Accepted Answer

A perihilar to caudodorsal unstructured interstitial to alveolar pattern.

Answer

In dogs, left-sided congestive heart failure secondary to mitral valve disease typically leads to cardiogenic pulmonary edema that originates in the perihilar region and extends into the caudodorsal lung fields. This appears as an unstructured interstitial pattern that can progress to an alveolar pattern. A cranioventral pattern is classic for aspiration pneumonia, nodules suggest metastatic disease, and a bronchial pattern indicates chronic airway disease.

Question 2

A 2-year-old cat is evaluated for acute vomiting and anorexia. On abdominal radiographs, the small intestinal loops appear clustered in the mid-abdomen. Several gas bubbles within the intestines have eccentric, crescent, or triangular shapes. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Plication of the small intestines due to a linear foreign body.

Answer

The radiographic signs described, particularly the bunching or plication of the intestines and the presence of abnormally shaped, eccentric gas bubbles (sometimes called 'tapered enteric gas bubbles' or part of a 'string of pearls' sign), are pathognomonic for a gastrointestinal linear foreign body. The intestines bunch up as they try to move the anchored linear object via peristalsis.

Question 3

During an abdominal ultrasound of a healthy dog, you identify a structure that appears to be liver parenchyma and a portion of the gallbladder located cranial to the highly echogenic, curvilinear diaphragm. This finding disappears when the transducer is angled differently. What does this represent?

Accepted Answer

Mirror image artifact.

Answer

This is a classic description of a mirror image artifact. It occurs when the ultrasound beam reflects off a strong, curved specular reflector like the diaphragm-lung interface. The ultrasound machine incorrectly assumes the returning echoes traveled in a straight line and displays a duplicate image of the liver and gallbladder on the far side of the diaphragm. It is a common artifact that should not be mistaken for pathology like a diaphragmatic hernia.

Question 4

A 12-year-old Quarter Horse is diagnosed with navicular syndrome based on clinical signs and a positive palmar digital nerve block. Which of the following is NOT a classic radiographic finding associated with this condition?

Accepted Answer

Widening of the distal interphalangeal (coffin) joint space.

Answer

Classic radiographic signs of navicular syndrome involve changes to the navicular bone itself, such as enlarged vascular channels (synovial invaginations), medullary sclerosis, flexor cortex erosions, and enthesophyte formation at ligament attachments. Widening of the coffin joint space is not a feature of navicular syndrome; it would be more indicative of joint effusion, synovitis, or instability unrelated to this specific diagnosis.

Question 5

A ventrodorsal (VD) thoracic radiograph of a dog shows that the sternum is positioned to the right of the vertebral column. The left lung fields appear larger and more radiolucent than the right. What positioning error most likely occurred?

Accepted Answer

The patient's left side was elevated off the table.

Answer

When a patient is rotated in a VD view, the side that is elevated (further from the detector) will appear magnified and more radiolucent due to increased air. The sternum will appear shifted towards the side that is down (closer to the detector). In this case, the left side appears larger (elevated) and the sternum is shifted to the right (the 'down' side).

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DVM - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Practice Test

DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Imaging Interpretation Questions and Answers