15 and 16 - Ultrasound I and II Flashcards
Diagnostic ultrasound
- Incorporates the use of high frequency sound waves emitted from a probe
- Directed into the body
- Sound waves penetrate and encounter different tissues as the waves travel through the body
Ultrasound encountering tissue
- When the ultrasound encounters tissues, the wave hits the tissue and reflects part of the wave back to the probe
- This causes a reflective pattern and this information is projected as an image
Sonography
- The ultrasound waves are inaudible to the human ear (>20,000 Hz)
- Images are created in diagnostic ultrasound when sound waves are transmitted into the foot and echoes return from various anatomical structures that reflect the transmitted sound waves
4 types of ultrasound
- A-mode
- B-mode
- M-mode
- Doppler
We will use B mode the MOST in musculoskeletal diagnosis ***
A-mode
- AKA “sonar” ultrasound
- Produced on an oscilloscope
- It measures how far the echo has traveled and how loud the echo is when it gets back
- Uses a single transducer
- Cannot determine what object looks like
B-mode
- B-mode (“Brightness Mode”): 2-dimensional picture
- Like A-mode, but adds direction, as well as, deciphers all types of echoes, both strong and weak
- Can recognize size and shape of object
- Uses a linear array of transducers
- Most commonly used type of ultrasound
M-mode
- Motion picture
- Like B-mode, but can image fetal movements, heart pumping
Doppler
Measures blood flowing using doppler physics
Colors seen in Doppler images
Color Doppler (“BART”)
- BLUE signals indicate blood flow AWAY from the probe
- RED signals indicate blood flow TOWARD the probe
Physics of ultrasound transducer (probe)
- Contains linear array of thin crystals (lead zirconate titanate) linked to the electrical system of the machine
- Machine applies a rapidly alternating electrical current to the crystals > vibration > generate sinusoidal sound wave (mechanical energy) = Piezoelectricity
The crystal’s vibration puts out sound waves
Emission of the sound wave
- Requires a medium
- Forward transmission until acoustic interface (change in the density of adjacent tissues) met
- The machine recognizes the differences in density
The signals are either reflected back or continue to progress through the body part you are examining - reflects the density of the object
In bone, less continues through, more is reflected back
In muscle, more continues through, less is reflected back
Partial reflection
- Waves transmitted back to the transducer (now a receiver)
- Sound energy transformed into electrical signal
Processes of density signal
Computer calculates amplitude , depth and time of return signal and generates 2-D black & white B-mode image of the body
Physics of musculoskeletal transducers
Musculoskeletal transducers located in the probe produce the sound at 7.5-12 Mhz (megahertz) which is then pulsed at 20 microsecond intervals
How to place the notch on the body
When doing a LONGITUDINAL (long) scan…
- The notch is placed on the PROXIMAL aspect of the structure(s)
- The proximal aspect will be on the left of the view screen.
When doing a TRANSVERSE (short) scan…
- The notch is placed on the medial aspect of the structure(s)
- The medial aspect will be on the left of the view screen.
Achilles tendon example on slide 17
Relationship of frequency and wave length of ultrasound beam
- Frequency and wavelength of the ultrasound beam are inversely related
- The higher the frequency, the lower the wavelength and vice versa
What happens when high frequency waves penetrate LESS than low frequency waves?
Higher frequency waves penetrate less than lower frequency, but resolution increases ***
*** Resolution is the ability of the ultrasound machine to distinguish two structures (reflectors or scatterers) that are close together as separate
This means we can see things in the foot BETTER than you could in the ABDOMEN
What does “good resolution” mean?
That you can see separate objects individually rather than a blurred spot together
High frequency transducers
- High frequency transducers (foot and ankle between 7.5 and 12 Mhz)
- Improved resolution
- Decreased depth of penetration
- Used on superficial structures
Low frequency transducers
- Low frequency transducers (1-6 Mhz)
- Decreased resolution
- Full depth of penetration
- Best for abdominal and pelvic imaging
What do low frequency waves do when they penetrate?
Lower frequency waves penetrate more deeply but have less well-defined images
- The deeper the signal travels into the tissue, the more it is absorbed, and the weaker the signal that is reflected back from the tissue. This is known as attenuation.
Attenuation
Attenuation results in echoes from deep tissue being displayed less intensely than those from superficial structures
High frequency transducers in musculoskleltal
- Musculoskeletal transducers are higher frequency because the structures are closer to the surface of the body
- The 7.5 transducer penetrates approximately 7 cm***
Contact of ultrasound to interface
- When the ultrasound waves contact an interface between two different media (e.g., fat and bone), part of the signal is then reflected back, whereas the rest of the wave continues to propagate deeper into the tissue.
- The greater the difference in tissue density, the more reflection will occur