ADULT ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY EXAM
SCRIPT UPDATED COMPLETE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS GRADED APLUS
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC
FINDINGS IS MOST CONSISTENT WITH MYXOMA IN THE LEFT
ATRIUM?
Answer: WELL-DEFINED, MOBILE MASS ATTACHED TO THE
ATRIAL SEPTUM WITH A STALK.
●● IN ASSESSING LEFT VENTRICULAR PRESSURES, WHICH OF
THE FOLLOWING IS A KEY FINDING IN PATIENTS WITH
ELEVATED FILLING PRESSURES?
Answer: SHORTENED DECELERATION TIME OF EARLY
DIASTOLIC FLOW.
●● WHAT IS THE PRIMARY DISADVANTAGE OF USING A
MECHANICAL TRANSDUCER IN MODERN ULTRASOUND
IMAGING?
Answer: DIFFICULTY ACHIEVING REAL-TIME IMAGING.
●● TO OPTIMIZE THE SPATIAL RESOLUTION OF AN
ULTRASOUND IMAGE, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD
BE ADJUSTED?
,Answer: THE TRANSDUCER FREQUENCY
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE MOST SENSITIVE
DOPPLER SIGN OF SIGNIFICANT PULMONIC VALVE
REGURGITATION?
Answer: DIASTOLIC FLOW REVERSAL IN THE PULMONARY
ARTERY.
●● YOU ARE PERFORMING A 2D ECHOCARDIOGRAM ON A
PATIENT WITH SUSPECTED LVH. THE PHYSICIAN
SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED VISUALIZATION OF THE SEPTAL
WALL THICKNESS, BUT DID NOT SPECIFY ANYTHING ABOUT
THE ANTERIOR OR POSTERIOR WALLS. WHAT IS THE MOST
APPROPRIATE APPROACH?
Answer: MEASURE THE SEPTAL WALL THICKNESS, BUT ALSO
MEASURE THE ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR WALLS TO
ENSURE COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENTATION OF THE LVH.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS A COMMON CAUSE OF
PULMONIC VALVE DYSFUNCTION IN ADULTS?
Answer: CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS A KEY INDICATOR OF
AORTIC COARCTATION ON ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC OF THE
GREAT VESSELS?
,Answer: A SUDDEN INCREASE IN THE PULSE PRESSURE AND
SIGNIFICANT LEFT VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC
FINDINGS IS MOST SUGGESTIVE OF AORTIC VALVE
SCLEROSIS WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT STENOSIS?
Answer: THICKENING OF THE AORTIC VALVE LEAFLETS WITH
MINIMAL OR NO OBSTRUCTION TO FLOW.
●● WHILE PERFORMING SPECTRAL DOPPLER ON A PATIENT
WITH AORTIC STENOSIS, YOU NOTICE THAT THE PEAK
VELOCITY ACROSS THE AORTIC VALVE IS 3.5 M/S. WHAT IS
THE BEST INTERPRETATION OF THIS FINDING?
Answer: MODERATE AORTIC STENOSIS, WHICH LIKELY
REQUIRES MEDICAL MANAGEMENT.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE MOST COMMON
ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS INA PATIENT WITH
PULMONARY HYPERTENSION?
Answer: RIGHT VENTRICULAR DILATION WITH FLATTENED
IVS.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS AN ESSENTIAL STEP AFTER
COMPLETING AN ECHOCARDIOGRAM AND PRIOR TO
HANDING THE RESULTS TO THE PHYSICIAN?
, Answer: ENSURING ALL MEASUREMENTS AND IMAGES ARE
APPROPRIATELY LABELED AND SAVED.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING COMPLICATIONS IS MOST
COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH MECHANICAL PROSTHETIC
VALVES?
Answer: VALVE THROMBOSIS
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE PRIMARY BENEFIT OF
PERFORMING 3D TRANSTHORACIC ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY
(TTE) COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL 2D TTE?
Answer: MORE ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF THE CHAMBERS
VOLUME AND EJECTION FRACTION.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ARTIFACTS CAN BE CAUSED
BY HIGH ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
TWO TISSUES?
Answer: MIRROR IMAGE
●● WHEN PREPARING A PEDIATRIC PATIENT FOR AN
ECHOCARDIOGRAM, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT STEP TO ENSURE SUCCESSFUL IMAGE
ACQUISITION?
Answer: EXPLAINING THE PROCEDURE USING AGE-
APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE TO HELP REDUCE ANXIETY.
SCRIPT UPDATED COMPLETE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS GRADED APLUS
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC
FINDINGS IS MOST CONSISTENT WITH MYXOMA IN THE LEFT
ATRIUM?
Answer: WELL-DEFINED, MOBILE MASS ATTACHED TO THE
ATRIAL SEPTUM WITH A STALK.
●● IN ASSESSING LEFT VENTRICULAR PRESSURES, WHICH OF
THE FOLLOWING IS A KEY FINDING IN PATIENTS WITH
ELEVATED FILLING PRESSURES?
Answer: SHORTENED DECELERATION TIME OF EARLY
DIASTOLIC FLOW.
●● WHAT IS THE PRIMARY DISADVANTAGE OF USING A
MECHANICAL TRANSDUCER IN MODERN ULTRASOUND
IMAGING?
Answer: DIFFICULTY ACHIEVING REAL-TIME IMAGING.
●● TO OPTIMIZE THE SPATIAL RESOLUTION OF AN
ULTRASOUND IMAGE, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD
BE ADJUSTED?
,Answer: THE TRANSDUCER FREQUENCY
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE MOST SENSITIVE
DOPPLER SIGN OF SIGNIFICANT PULMONIC VALVE
REGURGITATION?
Answer: DIASTOLIC FLOW REVERSAL IN THE PULMONARY
ARTERY.
●● YOU ARE PERFORMING A 2D ECHOCARDIOGRAM ON A
PATIENT WITH SUSPECTED LVH. THE PHYSICIAN
SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED VISUALIZATION OF THE SEPTAL
WALL THICKNESS, BUT DID NOT SPECIFY ANYTHING ABOUT
THE ANTERIOR OR POSTERIOR WALLS. WHAT IS THE MOST
APPROPRIATE APPROACH?
Answer: MEASURE THE SEPTAL WALL THICKNESS, BUT ALSO
MEASURE THE ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR WALLS TO
ENSURE COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENTATION OF THE LVH.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS A COMMON CAUSE OF
PULMONIC VALVE DYSFUNCTION IN ADULTS?
Answer: CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS A KEY INDICATOR OF
AORTIC COARCTATION ON ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC OF THE
GREAT VESSELS?
,Answer: A SUDDEN INCREASE IN THE PULSE PRESSURE AND
SIGNIFICANT LEFT VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC
FINDINGS IS MOST SUGGESTIVE OF AORTIC VALVE
SCLEROSIS WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT STENOSIS?
Answer: THICKENING OF THE AORTIC VALVE LEAFLETS WITH
MINIMAL OR NO OBSTRUCTION TO FLOW.
●● WHILE PERFORMING SPECTRAL DOPPLER ON A PATIENT
WITH AORTIC STENOSIS, YOU NOTICE THAT THE PEAK
VELOCITY ACROSS THE AORTIC VALVE IS 3.5 M/S. WHAT IS
THE BEST INTERPRETATION OF THIS FINDING?
Answer: MODERATE AORTIC STENOSIS, WHICH LIKELY
REQUIRES MEDICAL MANAGEMENT.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE MOST COMMON
ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS INA PATIENT WITH
PULMONARY HYPERTENSION?
Answer: RIGHT VENTRICULAR DILATION WITH FLATTENED
IVS.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS AN ESSENTIAL STEP AFTER
COMPLETING AN ECHOCARDIOGRAM AND PRIOR TO
HANDING THE RESULTS TO THE PHYSICIAN?
, Answer: ENSURING ALL MEASUREMENTS AND IMAGES ARE
APPROPRIATELY LABELED AND SAVED.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING COMPLICATIONS IS MOST
COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH MECHANICAL PROSTHETIC
VALVES?
Answer: VALVE THROMBOSIS
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE PRIMARY BENEFIT OF
PERFORMING 3D TRANSTHORACIC ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY
(TTE) COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL 2D TTE?
Answer: MORE ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF THE CHAMBERS
VOLUME AND EJECTION FRACTION.
●● WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ARTIFACTS CAN BE CAUSED
BY HIGH ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
TWO TISSUES?
Answer: MIRROR IMAGE
●● WHEN PREPARING A PEDIATRIC PATIENT FOR AN
ECHOCARDIOGRAM, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT STEP TO ENSURE SUCCESSFUL IMAGE
ACQUISITION?
Answer: EXPLAINING THE PROCEDURE USING AGE-
APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE TO HELP REDUCE ANXIETY.
