Ch. 1 - Foundations of Sonography Flashcards
Change in the direction of propogation of a sound wave transmitted across an interface where the speed of sound varies
refraction
Angle at which a sound beam strikes the interface between two types of tissue
angle of incidence
Power per unit area
intensity
Special material in the transducer that has the ability to convert electric impulses into sound waves
crystal
Propagation of energy that moves back and forth or vibrates at a steady rate
wave
Any device that converts energy from one form to another
transducer
Number of cycles per second that a periodic event or function undergoes
frequency
Measure of a material’s resistance to the propagation of sound; expressed as the product of acoustic velocity of the medium and density of the medium
acoustic impedance
Generation of electric signals as the result of an incident sound beam on a material that has piezoelectric properties
piezoelectric effect
Region over which the effective width of the sound beam is within some measure of its width at the focal distance
focal zone
Reduction in amplitude and intensity of a sound wave as it propagates through a medium
attenuation
Passive force in opposition to another, active force; occurs when tissue exerts pressure against the flow
resistance
Surface forming the boundary between media having different properties
interface
Region of increased particle density
compression
Distance over which a wave repeats itself during one period of oscillation
wavelength
Refers to the minimum distance between two structures positioned along the axis of the beam where both structures can be visualized as separate objects
axial resolution
Rate of energy flow over the entire beam of sound
power
Unit used to quantitatively express the ratio of two amplitudes or intensities
decibel (dB)
1,000,000 Hz
megahertz (MHz)
Ability of the transducer to distinguish between two structures adjacent to one another
resolution
Time interval required for generating the transmitted pulse
pulse duration
Sequence of events occurring at regular intervals
cycle
Speed of the ultrasound wave; determined by tissue density
velocity
Minimum distance between two objects at which they still can be displayed as separate objects
lateral resolution
Unit for frequency; equal to 1 cycle per second
hertz (Hz)
Field closest to the transducer during formation of the sound beam
Fresnel zone
Angle of incidence at which the sound beam strikes the interface
angle of reflection
1000 Hz
kilohertz (kHz)
Field farthest from the transducer during formation of the sound beam
Fraunhofer zone
Thickness of the section in a patient that contributes to echo signals on any one image
slice thickness
Sound transmitted and received intermittently with one transducer
pulsed wave (PW) Doppler
Ability to compensate for attenuation of the transmittal beam as the sound wave travels through tissue in the body
time gain compensation (TGC)
Change in frequency of a reflected wave; caused by motion between the reflector and the transducer’s beam
Doppler shift
One transducer continuously transmits sound, and one continuously receives sound; used in high-velocity flow patterns
continuous wave (CW) Doppler
Normal pattern of vessel flow; flow in the center of the vessel is faster than it is at the edges
laminar