RVT case studies
RVT · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT®) is an ARDMS credential administered by Inteleos for sonographers who perform vascular ultrasound as a core part of their independent practice. Earning it is a two-exam process: candidates must pass the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) exam, the foundation exam shared by all ARDMS certifications, plus the Vascular Technology (VT) specialty exam. The RVT case studies are 5 cases and about 3,685 words.
1A 'Normal' Carotid Velocity in a Symptomatic Patient
A 68-year-old man is referred urgently after a 20-minute episode of right-hand weakness and slurred speech that resolved 4 hours ago. B-mode of the left carotid bifurcation shows a densely calcified plaque at the ICA origin with a very narrow residual lumen.
736 words, about 4 min2Claudication With an Abnormally High Ankle-Brachial Index
A 62-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and a 15-year smoking history reports calf claudication at approximately 200 meters. She has a healed ulcer at the left first metatarsal head.
649 words, about 3 min3Recurrent Leg Swelling Three Years After Iliofemoral DVT
A 55-year-old woman is referred three years after a left iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis treated with six months of warfarin. She reports chronic left leg heaviness that worsens through the day, new hyperpigmentation, and a 1 cm ulcer above the medial malleolus present for six weeks.
728 words, about 4 min4Postprandial Pain With a High SMA Velocity
A 71-year-old woman with a 25-pack-year smoking history reports 4 kg of unintentional weight loss and recurrent mid-abdominal pain beginning about 20 minutes after eating. Duplex is performed after an 8-hour fast.
757 words, about 4 min5Interobserver Velocity Variability Before Reaccreditation
During preparation for reaccreditation, a technical director reviews three months of carotid studies and finds that peak systolic velocities recorded by two technologists on the same patients differ by 20-25%, even though both use the same 5-9 MHz linear array on the same machine. Reviewing images, technologist A routinely sets the Doppler angle at 60° and places the sample volume at the point of maximal color aliasing within the stenosis.
815 words, about 4 min