PhysicsChapter 11: Medical Imaging
Diagnostic Ultrasound and Sonography
Diagnostic ultrasound
Definition
Diagnostic ultrasound, or sonography, uses high-frequency sound waves and their echoes to obtain information about structures inside the body.
Formula / Key Relation
An ultrasound transducer sends short pulses of ultrasound into the body. When a pulse reaches a boundary between tissues with different acoustic properties, part of the wave can be reflected. The transducer detects returning echoes. The time delay gives information about depth. If the speed of sound in tissue is `v` and the round-trip echo time is `t`: **d = vt/2 The factor `2` is necessary because sound travels: probe → tissue boundary → probe d = vt/2**
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Review the key facts, formulas and checks before you move on.Diagnostic Ultrasound and Sonography
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SONOGRAPHY
- SEND → REFLECT → RECEIVE
- `d = vt/2`
60-second revision
- Ultrasound uses echoes and their travel times to locate structures.
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