VTNE Diagnostic Imaging Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which radiographic view is best for evaluating the trachea and mainstem bronchi in a dog?
- Ventrodorsal
- Lateral (Correct answer)
- Oblique
- Skyline
Correct answer: Lateral
The lateral view superimposes the trachea and mainstem bronchi in profile, making them easiest to evaluate without superimposition of other structures.
Question 2: What is the primary safety concern when performing radiographs on a patient with suspected pneumothorax?
- Radiation exposure to staff
- Patient positioning stress exacerbating dyspnea (Correct answer)
- Film fogging from oxygen lines
- Contrast medium reaction
Correct answer: Patient positioning stress exacerbating dyspnea
Patients with pneumothorax are already dyspneic, and the stress and positioning required for radiography can worsen respiratory compromise or cause decompensation.
Question 3: On ultrasound, which tissue characteristic causes acoustic shadowing?
- Fluid-filled structures
- Highly attenuating or reflective materials such as calculi or bone (Correct answer)
- Soft tissue with uniform density
- Air pockets within parenchyma
Correct answer: Highly attenuating or reflective materials such as calculi or bone
Calculi, bone, and other highly reflective or attenuating materials block the ultrasound beam, creating a dark shadow artifact distal to the object.
Question 4: A radiograph shows increased opacity in the lung fields with an air bronchogram sign. This finding is MOST consistent with:
- Pleural effusion
- Pneumothorax
- Alveolar lung disease (Correct answer)
- Vascular congestion only
Correct answer: Alveolar lung disease
Air bronchograms form when fluid or soft tissue fills the alveoli but air remains in the bronchi, creating a visible bronchial pattern — classic for alveolar (consolidating) lung disease.
Question 5: When positioning a patient for a VD (ventrodorsal) thoracic radiograph, the beam enters from:
- Dorsal to ventral
- Ventral to dorsal (Correct answer)
- Left to right
- Right to left
Correct answer: Ventral to dorsal
In a VD projection the X-ray beam enters the ventral (belly) side first and exits the dorsal side, with the patient in dorsal recumbency.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST describes the Doppler ultrasound technique used to assess blood flow direction?
- B-mode
- Color flow Doppler (Correct answer)
- M-mode
- Contrast-enhanced ultrasound
Correct answer: Color flow Doppler
Color flow Doppler encodes the direction and relative velocity of blood flow as color (typically red toward and blue away from the transducer) overlaid on the B-mode image.
Question 7: What kVp range is typically used for thoracic radiography in a medium-sized dog?
- 40–50 kVp
- 55–65 kVp
- 70–85 kVp (Correct answer)
- 100–120 kVp
Correct answer: 70–85 kVp
Thoracic radiography in medium dogs typically uses 70–85 kVp to provide adequate penetration through the chest wall while maintaining sufficient contrast.
