Vascular Surgery & Circulatory System

🟦 Multiple Choice Questions

  1. What is the medical term for the abnormal formation of blood clots within blood vessels?
    ✅ Thrombosis

  2. What is the medical term for high blood pressure?
    ✅ Hypertension

  3. Which term refers to a surgical procedure to widen or restore the lumen of an artery?
    ✅ Angioplasty

  4. What is a potential cause of an arterial embolism?
    ✅ Blood clot

  5. This is a removal of a blood clot from a blood vessel with a Fogarty catheter, restoring blood flow.
    ✅ Thrombectomy

  6. A small plastic tube that diverts blood around the section of the carotid artery being operated on:
    ✅ Shunt

  7. A small mesh tube inserted into a duct or vessel to keep it open:
    ✅ Stent

  8. This occurs when arteries directly connect to veins or venous sinuses:
    ✅ Arteriovenous fistula

  9. Swollen, twisted veins under the skin are called:
    ✅ Varicoses

🟩 True/False Questions

  1. Peripheral vascular disease is primarily caused by venous insufficiency.
    ❌ False – It is primarily caused by arterial atherosclerosis, not venous insufficiency.

🟨 Fill in the Blank

  1. False aneurysms are found during tests for other conditions.
    ✅ (Factual statement, but would benefit from context: they often occur after trauma or catheterization.)

🟧 Matching Sections

🔹 Arterial Supply (Extremities):

Artery

Correct Extremity

Femoral artery

✅ Lower extremity

Subclavian artery

✅ Upper extremity

Popliteal artery

❌ (should be Lower extremity)

Brachial artery

❌ (should be Upper extremity)

🔹 Vascular Terms:

Term

Correct Definition

Occlusion

✅ Blocked blood vessel

Stenosis

❌ (Correct: Narrowing of a vessel)

Pseudoaneurysm

❌ (Correct: Vessel injury resulting in a false lumen)

Aneurysm

✅ Vessel wall weakens and bulges

🔹 Blood Vessel Functions:

Vessel Type

Correct Description

Arteries

✅ High-pressure flow; respond to tissue oxygen needs

Arterioles

❌ (Correct: Smaller branches of arteries that regulate blood flow)

Capillaries

✅ Site of nutrient/gas exchange via diffusion

Venules

✅ Collect blood from capillaries

Veins

✅ One-way valves return blood to the heart

🟥 Essay/Short Answer Questions

12. What are the potential complications of untreated peripheral vascular disease (PVD)?

✅ Correct Answer:

  • Tissue ischemia

  • Non-healing ulcers

  • Gangrene

  • Amputation

  • Stroke (if cerebral arteries involved)

13. Discuss treatment options for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT):

✅ Correct Answer:

  • Anticoagulants (e.g., heparin, warfarin)

  • Compression stockings

  • Thrombolytics (clot busters)

  • IVC filter (if anticoagulation contraindicated)

14. What is the term for a blocked blood vessel?

✅ Occlusion

15. What procedure can cause phantom limb phenomenon?

✅ Amputation

16. What causes the vessel wall to be made up of products from the clotting cascade?

✅ Thrombus formation – as clotting elements (fibrin, platelets) accumulate due to vessel injury or stasis.

🧠 Key Concepts to Study

  • Thrombosis = blood clot inside vessel

  • Embolism = traveling clot or debris

  • Aneurysm = weakened, bulging vessel

  • Arteriovenous Fistula = abnormal artery-vein connection

  • Angioplasty vs. Endarterectomy = widening vs. removing blockage

  • Thrombectomy = removing clot with a catheter

  • DVT treatment = anticoagulants + supportive care

  • PVD complications = ischemia, ulcers, possible amputation

  • Stents/Shunts = support blood flow or bypass blockages

  • Phantom limb = brain still “feels” missing limb post-amputation