This ARDMS Abdomen last-minute review collects the normal measurements, Doppler values and classic appearances that the AB exam tests again and again. Use it in your final week, alongside timed practice questions.
| Abdomen (AB) exam at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Questions | About 165, including hotspot questions |
| Time | 3 hours |
| Fee | US$300 |
| Passing score | 555 on a 300–700 scale |
| Content areas | Anatomy, perfusion and function, pathology, vascular abnormalities, trauma, postoperative anatomy, physics, and clinical care |
A 7-day final plan
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 7 | Liver, biliary tree and gallbladder |
| 6 | Pancreas, spleen, and the retroperitoneum including the aorta and IVC |
| 5 | Kidneys, bladder and adrenals, including renal Doppler and transplants |
| 4 | Superficial structures: thyroid, parathyroid, scrotum, neck and abdominal wall; paediatric abdomen |
| 3 | Abdominal Doppler: portal hypertension, TIPS, Budd–Chiari, mesenteric and renal arteries |
| 2 | Full timed mock (165 questions in 3 hours) and review |
| 1 | Normal values table and rest |
Normal values to memorise
| Structure | Typical upper limit or normal |
|---|---|
| Common bile duct | About 6 mm (slightly larger with age and after cholecystectomy) |
| Gallbladder wall | Up to 3 mm (fasting) |
| Main pancreatic duct | Up to about 3 mm |
| Main portal vein | Up to about 13 mm; hepatopetal flow |
| Spleen length | Up to about 12–13 cm |
| Adult kidney length | About 9–12 cm |
| Abdominal aorta | Under 3 cm; 3 cm or more is an aneurysm |
| Appendix | Over 6 mm and non-compressible suggests appendicitis |
| Pylorus (infant) | Muscle over 3 mm or channel over 15 mm suggests pyloric stenosis |
| Renal resistive index | Below about 0.7 |
Abdominal Doppler patterns
- Hepatic veins: normally triphasic; loss of phasicity suggests cirrhosis or outflow obstruction.
- Portal hypertension: slow or reversed (hepatofugal) portal flow, splenomegaly, ascites, varices and a recanalised paraumbilical vein.
- Budd–Chiari: absent or reversed hepatic venous flow, intrahepatic collaterals and caudate lobe enlargement.
- TIPS: compare with the baseline study; a big change in shunt velocity or reversal of flow in a hepatic or portal vein suggests dysfunction.
- Renal artery stenosis: high peak systolic velocity, a raised renal-to-aortic ratio and a tardus-parvus waveform downstream.
- Fasting and post-prandial SMA: high-resistance when fasting, low-resistance after a meal.
Classic appearances
| Finding | Think of |
|---|---|
| Wall-echo-shadow (WES) sign | Gallbladder packed with stones |
| Comet-tail artifacts in the gallbladder wall | Adenomyomatosis |
| Hyperechoic liver with poor beam penetration | Fatty liver |
| "Bull's-eye" or target liver lesions | Metastases |
| Very echogenic renal mass, as bright as sinus fat | Angiomyolipoma |
| Double-duct sign | Pancreatic head mass |
| Twinkling artifact on colour Doppler | Calculus |
| Testis with absent flow and sudden pain | Torsion: a surgical emergency |
| Taller-than-wide hypoechoic thyroid nodule with microcalcification | Suspicious for papillary carcinoma |
1,000 Abdomen practice questions
The ARDMS Q Bank has 1,000 explained Abdomen questions, plus SPI, OB/GYN, Vascular, MSK and Breast pools, in tutor or timed mode.
Open the ARDMS Q BankThe day before and exam day
- Stop new topics 24 hours before. Skim your own notes and the tables on this page, then rest.
- Check your Pearson VUE confirmation: test centre address, start time and the exact name on your ID, which must match your registration.
- Arrive 30 minutes early with your valid, government-issued photo ID.
- Use the flag button: answer every question on the first pass, flag the slow ones, then come back. There is no penalty for guessing, so never leave a blank.
- Hotspot questions: read exactly what is asked, then click precisely on the structure or finding.
- If you don't pass: you can reapply after 3 days but must wait 60 days to re-sit, so plan a focused 8-week review of your weak domains.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the ARDMS Abdomen exam?
About 165 questions in 3 hours, including multiple-choice and hotspot questions where you click on the image.
What is the passing score for the ARDMS AB exam?
555 on a 300–700 scale. It is not a percentage or a curve.
What are the most important topics for the Abdomen registry?
Liver, biliary and pancreatic pathology, renal disease and Doppler, the aorta and IVC, superficial structures such as thyroid and scrotum, paediatric abdomen and abdominal physics.
Do I need SPI to get RDMS with Abdomen?
Yes. You must pass SPI and the Abdomen specialty exam within five years of each other, in either order.
How should I spend the last week before the AB exam?
Revise one organ system a day, memorise the normal values, do one full timed mock, and use the final day only for light review and rest.
Exam facts from Inteleos (ARDMS) exam pages, checked October 2026. Always confirm current rules on inteleos.org. Radiology Boards is not affiliated with ARDMS or Inteleos.