Test Review Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a transducer

A

The device that generates and recieves US

A transducer converts one form of energy to another; for ultrasound they convert electric energy into sound energy and vice versa

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2
Q

How does piezoelectric effect work

A

The piezoelectric effect is the formation of an electrical change on the surfaces of the crystal when pressure (mechanical energy) is applied. In pulse echo imaging, this effect occurs when echos return to the transducer and are converted into electric signals

The reverse or converse piezo electric effect is the production of US when an electric signal is applied to the crystal

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3
Q

Give an example of the material used for our crystals

A

Lead zirconate titanate= PZT. Ceramic material formulated to obtain piezoelectric properties when placed in the presence of a strong electric filed while immersed in a high temp bath

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4
Q

What type of voltage is the transducer driven by

A

Alternating current is the voltage that drives our transducers, which is the current that runs through residential homes

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5
Q

Whats another name for natural vibrational frequency

A

Natural freq
Operating freq
Resonance freq

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6
Q

What determines operating freq

A

The thickness of the piezoelectric crystal determines the transducers natural freq

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7
Q

What freq will a thick element operate at? High or low?

A

Low freq

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8
Q

What is a dipole

A

Molecules with a positive charge at one end and a negative charge at the other end

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9
Q

How does the ceramic cystral get its piezoelectric properties

A

The ceramic material obtains its piezoelectric properties when placed in the presence of a strong electric field while immersed in a high temperature bath, and then cooled down while still in the presence of the electrical field

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10
Q

What happens if the transducer is heated above the curie point

A

The dipoles re- orient into their random state and lose their piezoelectric properties

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11
Q

Where is the damping material found

A

Attached to rear face of the element

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12
Q

What is the job of the damping layer

A

To reduce the number of cycles in each pulse. Its known as the mechanical pulse damper as it serves primarily to limit SPL and PD

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13
Q

What parameters are effected by damping layer and how

A

Reduces PD and SPL and improves resolution

Also reduces sensitivity and efffectiveness

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14
Q

Why is the matching layer required

A

Transducer element is 20x the impedance of the tissues, by itself, this would create a large reflection at the skin and very little waves would be transmitted into the body.

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15
Q

Where is the matching layer located

A

At the surface of the transducer

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16
Q

What is “self focusing effect” or “natural focus” seen in the beam profile

A

Self focusing effect is the natural narrowing of the sound beam in a non focused single element transducer

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17
Q

What is the beam profile? Describe it

A

The ceramic material obtains its piezoelectric properties when placed in the presence of a strong electric field while immersed in a high temperature bath, and then cooled down while still in the presence of the electrical field

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18
Q

What is the near zone? What happens there?

A

The NZ is the region extending from the element out to the narrowest portion of the sound beam and is characterized by beam convergence

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19
Q

What other names does the near zone go by

A

Near field and frensel zonw

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20
Q

What determines the Near zone length

A

The size of the aperature and the operating freq of the element

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21
Q

What is the far zone and what is it characterized by

A

It sthe sound bea, beyond the narrowest point and is characterized by divergence

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22
Q

Other names of far zone

A

Far field and fraunhofer zone

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23
Q

What size is the width of the beam at 2x the near zone length

A

The size of the aperature

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24
Q

Why is focusing of the beam required

A

Focusing improves resolution. Increases the intensity of the sound beam

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25
Q

What are the two methods of focusing

A

Mechanical- lens or curved element

Electronic - phasing

26
Q

What is the focal length

A

The distance from the transducer to the focal point — same as NZL

27
Q

What are two methods of real time scannign

A

Mechanical and electronic/automatic

28
Q

What is the major difference between mechanical and electronic trasnducers

A

A mechanical transducer has a moving part to steer the beam the electronic transducer does not

29
Q

What are the 2 modes of activation to produce a beam

A

Sequencing

Phasing

30
Q

How do sequenced arrays wokr

A

A sequenced array applies voltage to a group of elements in succession to form scan lines

31
Q

How does a phased array transducer work?>

A

A phased array applies voltage pulses to all the elements with short time delays to steer the beam

32
Q

How is the beam directed to the right

A

Voltage is applied with time delays in a rapid progression from lt to rt directing the beam to the right, based on Huygen’s principle

33
Q

What is a vector array and why is it useful

A

A vector array is a linear phased array - converts a linear rectangular format into a sector like feild of view

34
Q

How is electronic focusing achieved

A

By using a curved pattern of phased delays; an increase or decrease in the curvature of the delay pattern moves the focus shallower or deeper, respectively.

35
Q

WHAT IS THE LIMIT TO MULTOPLE FOCI

A

Temporal resolution is reduced (multiple pulses per scan line = frame rate reduced)

36
Q

What is variable aperture, focusing?

A

To focus deeper, you need a bigger aperture and for a shallow focus, you need a smaller aperture. Therefore, the transducer fires only the elements needed depending on the distance of the focus. For closer natural focusing, smaller groups of elements are fired

37
Q

What is dynamic aperture

A

As the depth changes, the aperture changes to maintain a constant focal width. This is called a dynamic aperture.

38
Q

What is huygens principle

A

Huygen’s principle is that every point on a wavefront can be considered a source for secondary wavelets. These wavelets combine to form a ‘wavefront’ that heads in a direction perpendicular to the combined wavelets.

39
Q

What is spatial compounding? What is it used for

A

This is the use of phasing to strike objects from multiple angles. These images are compounded to produce an average image which will reduce artifacts and sharpen borders. (eg. Within cysts

40
Q

What is the limit for spatial compounding

A

Temporal resolution

41
Q

What is the difference between grating lobes and side lobes

A

Grating lobes involve multi-element transducers, side lobes are for disk transducers.

42
Q

What can we do to reduce grating lobe artifact

A

Apodization – reducing the amplitude of the outside elements decreases the intensity of returning echoes

Subdicing

THI – grating lobes do not produce harmonics, they are too weak; using THI filters out any grating lobe artifact

43
Q

What is resolution

A

The ability to distinguish echoes in terms of space (detail), time (temporal) and strength (contrast).

44
Q

What are the three aspects of image resolution

A
  • Detail (aka spatial)
  • temporal
  • contrast
45
Q

What are the 3 types of spatial resolution

A

Axial
Lateral
Evelation

46
Q

What is considered as poor detail resolution

A

Poor resolution is when 2 separate reflectors close together appear as one on the display screen.

47
Q

What is axial resolution

A

The ability to separate interfaces that lie along the beam axis (one on top of the other

48
Q

How can the operator improce axial resolution

A

By reducing the SPL (either with wavelength or # of cycles in a pulse), we reduce SPL by decreasing the wavelength with a higher frequency.
SPL = 𝜆 X # cycle in a pulse
SO, we improve axial resolution by INCREASING FREQUENCY.

49
Q

What other parameters will be affected and how ?

A

With the higher frequencies we lose the ability to penetrate (attenuation). Therefore, we are choosing resolution over penetration.

50
Q

How is the transducer built to improve axial resolution

A

The damping layer decreases the number of cycles per pulse

51
Q

What is the lateral resolution

A

Lateral resolution is the ability to separate interfaces that lie perpendicular to the beam.

52
Q

How can the operator improve lateral resolution, explain?

A

The more narrow the beam, the better the lateral resolution. So, we can reduce the beam diameter by applying the focus to the area of interest.

53
Q

What other parameters will be affected and how ?

A

​Increased intensity due to focusing

​Decreased ability to penetrate due to higher frequency

54
Q

What is the equation for lateral resolution

A

LR= beam width

55
Q

What is elevation resolution

A

Elevational resolution is the ability to separate interfaces that lie perpendicular to the beam axis (one in front of the other)

56
Q

How can the operator improce elevational resolution and how ?

A

Elevational resolution can be improved by applying focusing in the sectional plane thickness (which the operate cannot due this is done at the manufacturing level)

Or again with a higher frequency/THI to narrow the beam

57
Q

What artifact can elevational resolution contribute to

A

Section thickness artifact

58
Q

Explain how this artifact appears

A

It is the filling in of a structure that should appear anechoic

59
Q

In soft tissue, given a 3 pulse calculate the axial resolution for a 3 MHz transducer

A

1) λ = c/f - λ = 1.54/3 = 0.51 mm
2) SPL = n x λ = 3 x 0.51 = 1.53 mm

3) A.R = SPL/2 = 0.77 mm

60
Q

A 5MHz transducer generates a 3 cycle pulse and is operated at a pulse repetition frequency of 5000. The media is soft tissue. Beam width is 10 mm at the transducer surface, 3mm at the focal point, and 8mm at the distance of 12cm. What is the best lateral resolution of this transducer

A

The best lateral resolution is simply equal to the narrowest beam width. In this case, this value is 3mm and not surprisingly is at the focal distance. The frequency, pulse length and PRF are distractors

61
Q

Which type of focusing cannot be used with a single element transducer

A

Only arrays may be electronically focused. Single-element transducers are fixed focused by mechanical means which include crystal shaping or the use of an acoustic lens or mirror

62
Q

What is temporal resolution

A

Temporal resolution is the ability to seperate closely spaced events in time