Ultrasound Physics Review Flashcards
When you change the transmit frequency, which of the following is altered?
a. displacement amplitude of the particles in the medium
b. speed at which the sound wave propagates through the medium
c. Number of cycles per second
d. pulses transmitted per second
e. number of electric impulses applied to the transducer per second
c
While performed a Doppler ultrasound examination, you adjust the pulse repetition frequency to 12 kHz. This can also be expressed as:
12,000 Hz
When you switch from a 2.5 MHz to a 5.0 MHz transducer, the sound wavelength:
halves
Which of the following factors does NOT affect impedance?
a. stiffness
b. density
c. propagation speed
d. frequency
e. all of the above
d
What is the purpose of the gel coupling between the transducer and the skin?
to provide a medium for sound transmission, since ultrasound does not propagate through air
An example of a specular reflector is:
a. pericardium
b. liver parenchyma
c. red blood cells
d. ascites
e. hematoma
a
Which phenomenon is associated with a pattern produced by a sound beam after passing through a small aperture?
a. scattering
b. absorption
c. diffraction
d. interference
e. diffuse reflection
c
As a general observation about media in diagnostic sonography, sound propagates faster in materials with greater:
a. compressibility
b. acoustic impedance
c. stiffness
d. refractive index
e. all of the above
c
You may observe sound attenuation by all of the following EXCEPT:
a. reflection
b. scattering
c. conversion of sound to heat
d. absorption
e. compression
e
What is the relationship of frequency to absorption?
a. if frequency is halved, absorption is doubled
b. if frequency is doubled, absorption is doubled
c. if frequency is doubled, absorption is halved
d. if frequency is halved,absorption is quartered
e. The rate of sound absorption is not frequency-dependent
b
Another term for nonspecular reflection is:
a, destructive interference
b. refraction
c. diffraction
d. scattering
e. absorption
d
As you perform a sonographic exam, you switch from a 3.5 MHz transducer to a 7.o MHz transducer to image a superficial structure. Compared to the 3.5 MHz transducer, what will the 7.0 MHz attenuation rate and wavelength be?
a. double the attenuation rate, one-half the wavelength
b. double the attenuation rate, double the wavelength
c. one-fourth the attenuation rate, one half the wavelenth
d. one half the attenuation rate, double the wavelength
e. one half the attenuation rate, one fourth the wavelength
a
You are scanning a large mass that is composed primarily of fat. Which of the following are you most likely to encounter?
a. posterior acoustic shadowing caused by increased attenuation through the fat
b. axial misregistration of objects distal to the mass on the screen due to the slower propagation speed through fat
c. Lateral misregistration of the mass on the screen because of refraction
d. total reflection of the sound beam caused by a large acoustic impedance mismatch
e. diffraction of the sound beam due to a virtual small aperture through the mass
b
The transducer you are using transmits wide-bandwidth pulses whose frequency content is 2-5 MHz. Which of the following most correctly describes the reflected echo signals after they have traversed the tissue?
a. the echo signals will be shifted down in frequency due to the increased attenuation of higher frequencies
b. the echo signals will be of reduced intensity but will have the same frequency content as the transmitted beam
c. the echo signals will be shifted upward in frequency due to the increased absorption of the lower frequencies
d. only the center frequency component of the bandwidth will be reflected back to the transducer
e. the echo signal frequency content will be identical to that of the transmitted beam
a
What interaction of ultrasound and tissue is primarily responsible for imaging the internal structure of organs?
a. specular reflection
b. refraction
c. diffraction
d. destructive interference
e. scattering
e
Attenuation of the sound beam increases with increasing:
a. path length
b. absorption
c. frequency
d. scattering and reflection
e. all of the above
e
You are imaging a rounded mass with irregular borders. The mass has a much lower propagation speed than surrounding tissue. What sound-tissue interaction will be encountered as the ultrasound propagates through this interface?
a. refraction
b. reflection
c. absorption
d. scattering
e. all of the above
e
You are imaging a structure that is highly attenuating. Which imaging effect do you expect to encounter?
a. enhancement
b. increased penetration
c. shadowing
d. refraction
e. increased acoustic speckle
c
If sound waves of 3 MHz, 5 MHz, and 10 MHz are transmitted through the same section of an anatomy, reflections from which frequency would reach the transducer first?
a. 3 MHz
b. 5 MHz
c. 10 MHz
d. reflections from all three frequencies would have nearly identical transit times
e. it is not possible to predict which will arrive first
d
For pulsed ultrasound, which of the following factors determines the frequency of the sound wave?
a. PRF
b. transmitter frequency
c. area of the transducer elements
d. pressure applied to the transducer
e. all of the above
b
Wavelength is ______ proportional to frequency.
inversely
Impedance increases if density or propagation speed _____/
increases
a large smooth interface such as the renal capsule, diaphragm, or pericardium. Primarily responsible for the bright interfaces seen at organ boundaries
specular reflector
the general term for various phenomena in which waves from different parts of a source add or subtract
diffraction
includes all sound interactions that result in a weakening of the beam. These include reflection, scattering, absorption, and, to a lesser extent, refraction.
attenuation
the conversion of sound to heat in tissue
absorption
results in a bending of the beam
refraction
Because of the large acoustic impedance mismatch between soft tissue and calcium, most of the sound is _______ at the stone-tissue interface
reflected