Biophysics Flashcards
In the ECG what represents
I) Atiral repolarisation
II) Ventricular repolarisation
i) Not as during ventricular polarisation (QRS)
II) T wave
The large squares on an ECG (measuring 5mm) represent what time period
1mm wide small square
- 2seconds
0. 04seconds
Which leads are the inferior leads
III, aVF, II
Which leads are the anterior leads
V1-v4
Which leads are the lateral leads
aVL, 1, V5&V6
Which leads are the right atrium and left ventricle leads
aVr and V1
What is the normal QT interval
0.3-0.43 seconds (0.3-0.45 in women) - time for depolarisation and repolarisation of the ventricles
Sound waves above what hertz are termed ultrasound?
20kHz
Most medical ultrasound is the low MHz range.
In ultrasound how is the pressure wave created?
Piezoelectric crystal within a transducer - the piezoelectric crystal converts electrical energy into mechanical energy & vica versa (with high voltage current the crystal oscillates)
What is the pulse repetition frequency?
indicates the number of ultrasound pulses emitted by the transducer over a designated period of time.
What is the acoustic impedance
the tissue property that determines the degree of reflection
the greater the difference of acoustic impedance between 2 tissues the greater the degree of reflection.
What it the equation to calculate acoustic impedance
acoustic appendance = density x velocity of ultrasound
When does scatter occur?
When the ultrasound interacts with a structure with a similar dimensions (or smaller) then the length of the ultrasound wavelength e.g. blood cells and parenchyma
What direction is the ultrasound scatter in? How does it appear
360 degree
speckled appearance
What happens to the intensity of scatter as the frequency of ultrasound is increased
scatter increases very quickly putting an upper limit on ultrasound
What is absorption in ultrasound? For safety what is the upper limit of ultraounds
Conversion of mechanical every into heat or internal molecular energy producing heat.
Absorption increases with high frequencies - upper limit of 20MHz
Typically how many beams produce one image
200
What is the function of power in ultrasouns
The electric voltage used to generate the ultrasound pulses
What is the gain
The recieved signal is amplified to useful levels
What is attenuation?
How does this change with different frequencies and how does this impact clinical practice?
The amplitude and intensity of ultrasound waves decrease as they travel through tissue, a phenomenon known as attenuation. Given a fixed propagation distance, attenuation affects high frequency ultrasound waves to a greater degree than lower frequency waves. This dictates the use of lower frequency transducers for deeper areas of interest, albeit at the expense of resolution.
What is time gain compensation?
Amplify (increased gain) for deeper depths to adjust for attenuation
What are the limitations of real time B-mode scanning
inadequate spatial resolution inadequate penetration poor image quality low frame set compromised field of view low line density
What is spatial resolution?
Minimum distance between two reflectors or scattering surfaces to be able to distinguish between 2 signals
What are the two main components of spatial resolution and how are they impacted?
Axial resolution: determined by pulse length, shorter at high frequency (higher frequency is better axial resolution)
Lateral resolution: determined by beam width
What affects penetration os USS
Absorbtion and scatter - both increased with high frequency. Lower frequency for deeper penetraion but at cost of resolutino n
What information can doppler ultrasound tell us?
The speed at which a target is moving
direction of movemen
Direction of movement
Calculated using principles of doppler frequency shift
What is the colour coding system on dopplers
Red: towards transducer
Blue: away from transducer
Dark hues: low level velocity
Light hues: high level velocity
What measurement is used to account for possibility of bio effects of from heating.
Thermal index
TI soft tissues/bone/cranium
The mechanical index is to minimised the risk of…?
Cavitation - gas filled cavities can oscilllate or collapse under pressure of USS