1 What is angina, and what causes it? Angina pectoris reflects myocardial ischemia. Patients often describe the sensation as pressure, choking, or tightness. Angina typically worsens with exertion or stress and is relieved by rest. Angina is typically produced by…
1 What is the role of the vascular diagnostic laboratory (VDL) in the assessment and treatment of patients with suspected vascular disease? Although traditional evaluation by an experienced physician remains the foundation of vascular diagnosis, clinical assessment has its limitations.…
1 What is deep venous thrombosis (DVT)? What initiates it, and what causes it to propagate? DVT means thrombosis in the deep veins of the extremities and neck, as opposed to the superficial veins. In the lower extremity, DVT includes…
1 What is an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)? The aorta tapers in size from roughly 2.8 cm in the thorax to roughly 2.0 cm in the abdomen of adult men. Aneurysms are defined by a 50% increase in normal vessel…
1 What primary diseases affect the carotid arteries? Atherosclerosis is by far the most common disease affecting the carotid arteries, accounting for 90% of lesions in the Western world. The carotid artery also can be affected by kinking secondary to…
1 Describe claudication and its physiology Intermittent claudication consists of reproducible lower extremity muscular pain induced by exercise and relieved by short periods of rest. It is caused by arterial obstruction, which restricts the normal exercise-induced increase in blood flow,…
1 Do you have to be old to have atherosclerosis? No. The initial (or type I) lesion, consisting of lipid deposits in the intima, has been well characterized in infants and children. 2 What is a fatty streak? Fatty streaks…
1 What is a reasonable differential diagnosis for masses/lumps in the ipsilateral neck? Nonspecific lymphadenopathy Salivary gland tumor Viral or bacterial infectious process Lymphoma Carotid body tumor/chemodectoma Metastatic carcinoma Tuberculosis or a fungal disease Prominent normal anatomy 2 Could normal…
1 Describe the location and characteristics of the parotid gland The paired parotid glands are the largest of the three major salivary glands. The parotid gland is triangular in shape bounded superiorly by the zygomatic arch; posteriorly by the external…
1 What are the most common types of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC)? Which type is the most prevalent? The most common types of NMSC are the keratinocyte carcinomas, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). BCC represents nearly…