Ultrasound Flashcards
What frequencies does ultrasound use
Sound waves with higher frequency than we can hear
Between 1-15MHZ
What are sound waves like?
It is a longitudinal wave with compressions and rarefactions of the molecules it is travelling through.
How is an ultrasound Image obtained?
When ultrasound passes through the body it will hit boundaries and beam is split into four:
- transmitted beam
- reflected beam
- refracted beams
- scattered beam
Reflected beam back to its source gives the image
How does the ultrasound transducer produce an image?
In the ultrasound transducer, or probe, crystals emit packets of sound and then wait and “listen” for any returning echoes. The machine then constructs the image based on the loudness of the echo and the time it takes to return to the probe.
What is ultrasound machine measuring
the amount of reflection at a particular boundary.
What is acoustic impedence and how does it vary
describes how much resistance an ultrasound beam encounters as it passes through a tissue
the physical density of the tissue (d, in kg/m3) the velocity of the soundwave
How is acoustic impedence linked to reflection
Larger difference in acoustic impedence means greater amount of reflectiom
What tissue has the highest/ lowest acoustic impedence
Highest- bone
Lowest- air
What colour is fluid on an ultrasound
Black (no sound is reflected)
What colour is bone on an ultrasound and why?
White because lots of sound is reflected back
What colour are things on ultrasounds
Fluid- black
Tissue- grey (denser the tissue the whiter it’ll be)
What are the important things to consider when setting up an ultrasound?
Frequency of wave
Gain applied to returning echo (amplification of the ultrasound signals your transducer records.)
Where the ultrasound is focused
What are the pros/ cons of low frequency for ultrasound
Good penetration but poor resolution
What are the pros and cons of high frequency for ultrasound?
Poor depth of penetration but good resolution
What does gain have to compensate for/
The further the sound has to travel, the quieter the returning echo will be