Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI) Practice Exam

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• Which vessel is described as fasting when evaluating mesenteric arteries?
• What is spectral mirroring artifact?
• Why might flow from the foot vessels be absent in a resting patient when examining tibial veins?
• The normal flow of the renal vein at the hilum is:
• Beaded appearance of the arterial wall in the mid-to-distal renal artery is most characteristic of which disease?
• Which statement best describes why the superior vena cava can show pulsatility on Doppler in relation to anatomy?
• Which factor can disturb the spectral window aside from stenosis?
• How does the celiac artery waveform behave during fasting and postprandial states?
• In popliteal entrapment syndrome, foot flexion affects the systolic peak by:
• Where along a vessel is aliasing more likely to occur and why?
• Bruit is more likely to be heard when flow velocity is very high. Which velocity is given as an example?
• A color Doppler appearance shows the ICA directed toward the transducer with blue color; what does this indicate about flow?
• In collateral flow via ECA to the brain, what happens to ophthalmic artery flow?
• In vascular imaging, an intimal flap is best described as?
• Flow in the subclavian vein may increase when the patient is supine due to what reason?
• Imaging the innominate veins and the subclavian vein requires which transducer characteristics?
• Incomplete stent deployment during endovascular aneurysm repair is most likely to cause which type of endoleak?
• In SMA Doppler, a rapid upstroke is a characteristic of which condition?
• In color Doppler, negative Doppler shift colorized as which color?
• Specular reflections are produced by surfaces with which characteristics?
• In venous duplex, which feature helps determine DVT when the vein does not fully collapse?
• Which statement correctly describes a condition that avoids aliasing in Doppler sampling?
• Which of the following lists the three types of ultrasound reflections described?
• Occlusion should always be confirmed with which method?
• Compliance is defined as which of the following?
• Which breathing maneuver helps distinguish median arcuate ligament compression of the celiac artery from intrinsic disease when measuring PSV?
• To optimize detection of low-velocity endoleaks on color Doppler, which velocity setting is commonly used?
• If carotid color Doppler shows excessive color bleed and aliasing with a PRF of 7, which adjustment is likely beneficial?
• Which factors increase ultrasound bioeffects?
• If compression is set too high and transmit power is too low, what are the expected imaging consequences?
• In ultrasound assessment of arterial plaque ulceration, which finding supports the presence of a true ulcer?
• Which description best defines a saccular aneurysm?
• Where are the interlobar arteries located?
• What ultrasound characteristic helps distinguish a bypass graft from a stent?
• How is plaque ulceration best assessed with ultrasound?
• In the spectral Doppler of the superior mesenteric artery, flow reversal would most likely be indicated by which finding?
• Popliteal entrapment syndrome is caused by compression of which artery by which muscle?
• Which characteristic best describes a normal photoplethysmography (PPG) waveform?
• The principal source of attenuation for diagnostic ultrasound in soft tissues is:
• What is the minimal acceptable size for an arteriovenous fistula?
• Have velocity measurements or velocity ratios been validated for carotid artery disease stenosis greater than 50%?
• What happens to frame time as more color packets are transmitted?
• What does color Doppler estimate?
• During inspiration, which of the following occurs?
• Plethysmography measures which of the following?
• How can an examiner be certain a vein is thrombosed on duplex examination?
• Which PSV and EDV thresholds indicate flow-reducing stenosis in the celiac artery?
• What indicates laminar flow on spectral Doppler?
• Which waveform features are commonly seen with severe turbulence following high-grade stenosis?
• During inspiration, how does intrathoracic pressure change and how does this affect venous return?
• During color flow imaging, which phase is typically best to capture color flow, and what color change is observed toward the black bar?
• Fibromuscular dysplasia arteries beyond renal
• In vascular grafts, which graft abnormality most commonly requires correction?
• For a transducer with a lateral focus at 3 cm depth, at what depth is lateral resolution best?
• Power Doppler color encoding uses which property to signal flow color?
• Normal flow direction in duplex
• Which combination of footprint size and frequency is recommended for imaging the innominate veins and subclavian vein?
• Which statement best describes the relationship among sensitivity, accuracy, and specificity?
• Endoleak Type II is most commonly due to retrograde flow from which vessels into the aneurysm sac?
• Which statement describes a low-resistance celiac artery waveform?
• Pseudoaneurysm spectral Doppler at pedicle?
• Which finding is most consistent with collateral flow into a limb?
• How is the left ankle-brachial index (LABI) calculated?
• Spectral window absence can be caused by which combination of factors?
• High internal carotid artery velocity can be a normal finding in which condition?
• What waveform characteristics in CCA with distal disease?
• What is the normal toe-brachial index range?
• Spectral mirroring artifact is exaggerated by:
• Do wall filters affect the accurate detection of spectral Doppler peak velocity?
• The carotid body tumor is most commonly found in which geographic context?
• Laminar flow features
• In color Doppler, if the internal carotid artery (ICA) is directed upward toward the transducer and appears blue while the external carotid and common carotid deeper appear red, is there reversal flow in the ICA?
• In a patient with congestive heart failure, what would you expect in calf veins on Doppler?
• Which Doppler control has the greatest impact on accuracy of pulsatility or resistive index measurements?
• Which proximal renal artery angle is correct if the artery runs parallel to the vessel and is associated with a lower peak systolic velocity reading?
• Toe pressure is typically used when ankle pressure is falsely elevated. What toe-brachial index value is considered abnormal?
• Which statement about celiac artery velocity during median arcuate ligament compression is true?
• Using multiple transmit foci in ultrasound imaging affects which two aspects of resolution?
• What is a key advantage of pulsed-wave Doppler over continuous-wave Doppler?
• Which test is commonly used to evaluate venous reflux when the patient can tolerate standing?
• Why might thrombus be missed when compression doesn't reveal it?
• What is the normal flow pattern of the hepatic veins?
• Popliteal entrapment syndrome is commonly found in which population, and is bilateral in approximately what fraction?
• Power Doppler encodes color based on which property?
• Speed of sound depends on what properties?
• Carotid bulb color flow is best described as?
• A reflection from a large smooth surface is most accurately described as which type of reflection?
• After exercise, peripheral arteries typically show which change in resistance?
• Which statement is NOT typical of severe turbulence post-stenosis waveform?
• Photoplethysmography uses infrared light to quantify which component of blood?
• What is the arterial Doppler pattern characteristic of hyperemic flow?
• In the systemic circulation, which segment has the highest vascular resistance?
• Which equation best represents Poiseuille's law for pressure drop in a vessel in terms of pressure P, flow Q, and resistance R?
• Transmit power reduced by factor 100; how many decibels?
• What cuff size should be at least what percent greater than limb diameter?
• What calf circumference difference is considered significant in pretest probability assessment for acute DVT?
• PW Doppler aliasing occurs when?
• What is the effect of increasing color packet size on frame rate and signal-to-noise ratio?
• Which maneuver negates the effect of deep inspiration on arcuate ligament compression?
• Carotid steal phenomenon occurs on which side?
• What causes a Doppler shift?
• During inspiration, which best describes the change in flow from the upper extremity to the subclavian vein?
• To differentiate median arcuate ligament compression from intrinsic disease of the celiac artery, interrogation should be performed during which breathing states?
• Which ultrasound technique has the worst temporal resolution?
• Which statement best describes carotid bulb color flow?
• Turbulence is more likely to develop in which type of vessel diameter?
• In pulsed-wave Doppler, the sampling rate is determined by which quantity?
• Under Washington's ICA stenosis criteria, PSV>125 cm/s and EDV>140 cm/s with spectral broadening correspond to what percent diameter reduction?
• What Doppler pattern suggests collateral flow compensating contralateral ICA stenosis?
• CW Doppler waveform for multilevel arterial disease?
• If spectral window is not present in the common carotid artery Doppler study, what is the most accurate conclusion?
• An ABI value of 1.2 is suspicious for false elevation particularly in which patient condition?
• In fibromuscular dysplasia, which artery is most commonly affected?
• Carotid body tumor is typically supplied primarily by which artery?
• Mirror image artifacts in color Doppler imaging most commonly occur when what condition is present?
• If a thrombus is non-obstructive, how might Doppler signals appear?
• During expiration, how does the flow in the subclavian veins typically change?
• Capacitance in hemodynamics is defined as what?
• Where is the greatest turbulence observed relative to a vascular stenosis?
• Which position is best for performing venous reflux testing?
• Vein compression testing is impossible and difficult in which regions?
• What is the effect of median arcuate ligament compression on celiac artery velocity during normal respiration?
• Which vessel courses posterior to the inferior vena cava?
• Which material is commonly used for a bypass graft and would appear as woven material on ultrasound?
• If an ABI reads 1.2 in a patient who is not diabetic and has stiff vessels, what is the most likely explanation?
• Which vessel would most likely produce a venous Doppler waveform in the axillary region?
• If the left ankle pressure is 150 and the highest brachial pressure is 180, what is the left ABI?
• Which aneurysm type is characterized by a tapered morphology with no well-defined neck?
• An ultrasound note states the Doppler angle was taken in the sagittal plane. Which plane is this?
• In ICA stenosis with ipsilateral ECA internalization, how does the ECA appear on Doppler?
• In Poiseuille's law, how does resistance relate to radius?
• Severe turbulence post-stenosis can show a reverse flow component below the systolic peak. True or false?
• Which color Doppler velocity setting is commonly used to detect low-velocity Type II endoleaks?
• What is the effect of increasing PRF (color scale) on color Doppler?
• What is the wavelength equation in ultrasound physics?
• During inspiration, what happens to upper-extremity venous flow velocity?
• Budd-Chiari syndrome involves thrombosis of which vascular structure?
• Which statement is true about wall filters in Doppler ultrasound?
• In resistive index calculation, which formula defines RI?
• How does a plaque ulceration appear on color Doppler imaging compared with grayscale?
• Endotension is defined as which of the following?
• Which waveform finding most strongly suggests collateral flow with low peripheral resistance?
• Which statement describes a normal right kidney on ultrasound?
• In color Doppler imaging, what is a color packet?
• Which option correctly lists the three arterial collateral pathways in the brain when the right internal carotid artery is occluded?
• As flow disturbance increases, spectral broadening
• In Doppler imaging of an intimal flap, what does a longitudinal view typically reveal?
• What does a negative Doppler shift indicate about flow direction relative to the transducer?
• In graft hemodynamics, inflow obstruction generally refers to a blockage located where?
• In endoleak evaluation, a vessel communicating with the residual aneurysm sac demonstrates flow patterns similar to which feature?
• Endoleak Type II is diagnosed by detecting retrograde flow into the aneurysm sac from which sources?
• What explains color speckling on Doppler color flow imaging?
• Which vessel wall layer contributes to plaque lumen formation?
• How is acceleration time defined on Doppler waveforms?
• Which artery is the only vessel that courses posterior to the inferior vena cava?
• Dropout color artifact occurs at what Doppler angle?
• In a patient with congestive heart failure, what is typically seen in calf vein Doppler flow?
• Which velocity pattern would you expect to see across a truly occluded vessel?
• What finding on color Doppler would indicate an ulcerated plaque?
• Which velocity parameter is most commonly used to assess ICA stenosis?
• The flow pattern of a vessel communicating with the residual aneurysm sac is typically characterized by which directionality?
• Which angles require no angle correction in Doppler?
• What is the characteristic color Doppler appearance of fibromuscular dysplasia in carotid arteries?
• Which PSV and EDV thresholds indicate flow-reducing stenosis in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA)?
• Which Doppler pattern is typical for ECA when it assumes ICA-like flow in collateral channels?
• On an ultrasound of the right side, where is the axillary vein typically positioned on the screen?
• Minimal spectral broadening in minimal stenosis is:
• How does patient motion typically appear on color Doppler imaging?
• Which imaging finding is most consistent with collateral flow into an aneurysm sac?
• Incomplete stent deployment during endovascular aneurysm repair is most likely to cause which endoleak type?
• In Doppler ultrasound, high resistance distal to the insonation is most consistent with what upstream condition?
• What are typical PRFs for venous and arterial Doppler flow?