BasicUltrasonographySonographicArtifacts.docVIP

Title: Basic Ultrasonography Sonographic ArtifactsAuthor(s): George Henry, DVM, DACVRAddress (URL): /Members/Proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WVC2003PID=3201O=VIN Objectives ?Present basic physical principles required to understand diagnostic ultrasound imaging. ?Discuss the basic controls of an ultrasound scanner and their function in producing a diagnostic quality image. ?Review basic descriptive terminology used for describing ultrasound images and findings. ?Review and discuss the cause and recognition of common ultrasound artifacts relevant to the interpretation of ultrasound images. General Key Points What is diagnostic ultrasound? ?Diagnostic ultrasound is the use of sound waves to image the soft tissues and fluids of the body. ?Sound is transmitted through tissues by areas of compression and rarefaction at an average speed of 1540 meters per second. ?Image production relies on reflective surfaces within the tissues that reflect sound waves back to the transducer! ?Utilizes sound waves in the 2-15 MHz (Million Hertz (cycles per second)) range. ?Reflective surfaces occur at the interface between tissues/substances with different acoustic properties (acoustic impedance). ?Acoustic impedance = velocity of sound in that tissue x tissue density ?Air: 0.0004 ?Fat: 1.38 ?Water: 1.54 ?Brain: 1.58 ?Blood: 1.61 ?Kidney: 1.62 ?Muscle: 1.70 ?Bone: 7.8 ?Note that bone and air have very different acoustic impedance than the normal soft tissues and fluid of the body. ?The percent of sound reflection of a reflective surface is directly proportional to the magnitude of the difference in acoustic impedances of the tissues at an interface! ?Interface: % Reflected ?Blood-brain: 0.3 ?Kidney-liver: 0.6 ?Liver-muscle: 1.8 ?Blood-fat: 7.9 ?Liver-fat: 10.0 ?Muscle-fat: 10.0 ?Muscle-bone: 64.6 ?Soft-tissue-gas: 99.0 ?Interfaces between bone or air and soft tissues produce highly reflective interfaces that prevent imaging of tissues deep to the interface. An air - soft tissue interf