ASE Questions Flashcards
Describe rhumatic mitral valve changes?
Preferential thickening and calcification of the subvalvular region and leaflet tips
21 year old female underwent sugical palliation of cyanotic heart disease in early childhood.
What is the flow disturbance demonstrated by color Doppler in this case?
Fontan Fenestration
- patient has a lateral tunnel Fontan baffle in the atrium with a fenestration
- Flow disturbance is a right-to-left shunt into the functional LA
Describe the pathoanatomy of the mitral valve?
Prolapse of the middle scallop (P2) of the posterior leaflet
Patient with history of bicuspida aortic valve and posterior leaflet MVP, presents with SOB. Systolic murmur heard over anterior chest wall.
How would transmitral flow be identified?
- peak diastolic velocities reflect the pressure difference (in early diastole) between the aorta and the LV –> typically higher than the transmitral diastolic velocities (which represent the difference between the LV and LA in diastole)
- Transmitral flow pattern
- Diastolic flow signal with peak velocities of < 1.5 m/s
- Aortic regurgitation flow pattern
- highly unlikely that a peak AR velocity would be < 1.5m/s
- Transmitral flow pattern
What can commonly be mistaken for transaortic flow utilizing the right parasternal non-imaging Doppler flow profile?
Eccentric, anterior MR jet
- that hugs the wall of the LA just behind the ascending aorta
- may be mistake for AS by color profile and auscultation
- Posterior leaflet prolapse (with anteriorly directed jet) is a common cause of this jet
Differentiate MR from AS on spectral profile
- MR
- begins before aortic valve opening (holosystolic)
- longer duration
- represents gradient between LA and LV –> MR jet velocity should be higher than the transaortic velocity
- AS
- represents gradient between LV and Aorta –> AS jet velocity should lower than transmitral velocity
What are changes that occur with chamber filling and velocity as a result of a PVC?
- Following PVC –> long diastolic filling period typically results in an increase in transaortic flow
- However, LA also fills during diastole
- LV-to-LA pressure difference may not change for this reason
- therefore MR jet velocity may not always increase
What are major echocardiographic findings for HOCM?
- Severe SAM
- Absolute septal wall thickness > 15 mm
- LV septal-to-posterior wall thickness ratio ≥ 1.3
What are primary structural abnormalities of the mitral valve in HCM patients?
- Hypertrophy of the papillary muscles
- resutling in anterior displacement of the papillary muscles
- Intrinsic increase in mitral leaflet
- area
- elongation
What is the sensitivity and specificity for TEE in diagnosing SBE?
TTE?
TEE has sensitivity (96%) and specificity (92%) for vegetations
- TTE has sensitivity 62%
What is recommended as the first line diagnostic study to diagnose prosthetic valve endocarditis and assess for complications?
TEE
- In most cases, TEE is not indicated as the initial examination in the diagnosis of native valve endocarditis
Does a negative TEE exclude the diagnosis of SBE?
No
- negative TEE does not have enough diagnostic accuracy to rule out vegetative SBE
What are potential sources of false-negative TEE findings in the assessment for SBE?
- Vegetations that are smaller than the limits of resolution
- Previous embolization of vegetation
- Inadequate views to detect small abscesses
****Particularly important in setting of prosthesis as this can create blind spots –> if clinical suspicion is high (and TEE results are negative) –> repeat study in 7-10 days
In the post pump assessment after mitral valve repair for MR, What finding is most likely to be associated with an increased incidence of failure of the mitral valve repair from late regurgitation?
Coaptation zone height, less than 10mm
- > 10 mm has been associated with the lowest risk of return of MR of more than 2+ in long term follow up studies
What is an appropriate afterload state finding to assess the degree of MR post-repair?
SBP > 100 mmHg
- most appropriate time to image after repair is when:
- patient is off CPB
- Intravascular volume is replete
- loading conditions are similar to those in the ambulatory state
This TV finding in patients undergoing surgery for MR has been associated with late progressive TR and worse outcomes?
Tricuspid annular enlargement
- usually measured at > 4 cm in 4-chamber TEE view
Patient presenting with dyspnea has chronic A-fib, and had prior radiation therapy for Hodgkin’s disease.
Describe the findings and diagnosis
Fibroelastoma
- typically round, symmetrical, mobile massess adherent to valvular structures that have a homogenous appearance and density typical of non-calcified tissue
What adverse events are associated with Fibroelasoma’s?
-
Embolic events
- act as a nidus for platlet-fibrin aggregates
Describe dystrophic calcification
- appears as an echo density usually involving the cardiac skeleton (annulus of the cardiac valves), valve leaflets, or ventricular myocardium
- Identifiable causes:
- prior radiation
- chronic renal failure
- localized myocardial injury (prior MI)
- Lesions are usually sessile
Describe Lambl’s excrescence
- Incidentally discovered mobile, usually fialmentous, small masses commonly seen on the edges of valve leaflets
- Usually less than 2-3mm in length and 1 mm in diameter
- Not known to be associated wtih embolic events
What are absolute contraindications to TEE?
- Active/Recent esophageal bleeding
- Recent esophageal trauma/surgery
- Esophageal
- perforation or laceration
- tumor or abscess
- stricture (symptomatic)
- diverticulum
- thin walled structures may be perforated by the probe
In the presence of an aortic prosthesis, what are limitations of TTE and TEE?
- Acoustic shadowing or “blind spots” created by prosthesis
- TTE –> posterior aortic root blind spot
- TEE –> anterior aortic root blind spot
What is an appropriate indication for TEE in the setting of mechanical mitral valve prosthesis?
Evaluation of the etiology of hemolysis
- Evaluation for paravalvular defect
- Occluder of a mechanical MVR can be assessed for abnormal motion
What is a potential limitation to Echo in the diagnosis of ascending aortic dissection?
“blind spot” in the distal ascending aorta
What is the gold standard in diagnosis of ascending aortic dissection/
retrograde aortogram
Define propagation speed
- speed at which a wave moves through a medium
- determined by the medium that the sound wave is traveling through
What is one acoustic variable that is not determined by sound source?
propagation speed
Name acoustic variables are determined by the sound source
- Frequency
- Period
- Amplitude
- Intensity
Define frequency
number of cycles per unit time
Define period
time per cycle
Define amplitude
maximum variation of an acoustic variable or voltage
Define intensity
power divided by area
What device transforms electrical energy into mechanical or acoustic energy?
Transducer
- Piezoelectric crystals convert electrical current into vibrations (sound) and also on the receive side convert vibrations (sound) back to electrical signals
What is the length of the near field from the transducer called?
What factors influence this?
- Near zone length
- Dependent upon the diameter of the transducer and the propagation wavelength
- NZL = d2/4λ
- λ = wavelength
- NZL = d2/4λ
Calculate the near zone length (NZL):
- transducer with diameter of 7 mm
- operating frequency 3 MHz
- NZL = d2/4λ
- λ = wavelength = c/f
- c = velocity of US in soft tissue = 1.54 mm/usec
- λ = wavelength = c/f
- NZL = d2 f / 4c
- NSL = (7)2 x 3 / 4 (1.54)
- NSL = 147 / 6
- NSL = 24 mm
f = frequency
Describe the artifact
Grating lobes artifact
- mimics a clot in the left atrium
- create ghost images of high contrast structures off axis to the sound beam
- created due to the division of a small transducer face into a large number of small elements
- these small elements produce US energy at high angles compared to the main beam
Define refraction
- change of US direction on passing form one medium to another
- results in an artifactual image being placed adjacent to the real structure
Define enhancement artifact
occurs behind low attenuating structures (fluid filled structures) and results in a hyperintense signal