PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES OF  Some credit the Curie brothers,

DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUND Jacques and Pierre, with

(1) describing the piezoelectric effect.
 Piezoelectric effect- the change in
ULTRASOUND electric charge distribution of
- The term that describes sound waves of certain crystalline materials
frequencies exceeding the range of human following a mechanical stress.
hearing and their propagation in a medium.  Piezo is a Greek work means to
Purpose: press.
o Used to scan tissues of the  Roentgen- Also participated in
body. early experiments with ultrasound.
o The acquisition and display During 1880s, He stopped this area
of the acoustic properties of following his discovery of x-rays.
tissues.  SONAR (Sound Navigation And
Ranging) 1918 represents one of
 Approximately 20 to 20,000 Hz is the first applications of ultrasound-
the normal range of human under water detection. – a beam
hearing. ultrasound is transmitted from a
 The hertz (Hz) is a unit of surface ship into the depths of the
frequency. ocean. If it should intersect a
 1 Hz= 1 oscillation per second or 1 submerged object, such as a
cycle per second (cps). submarine, a small amount of the
In this frequency range, pressure ultrasound will be reflected back to
disturbances in the air that are detected the surface and detected. The time
by the human ear are called audible required for the ultrasound to travel
sound. to the reflecting object and back is
 Ultrasound is any sound with directly proportional to the distance
higher frequency, and consequently from the object.
ultrasound cannot be heard. -Consequently, SONAR allows the
 Subsonic is sound in the 0 to 20 Hz accurate determination of direction
range, and it also cannot be heard. and distance. This is also the basis
 1 to 15MHz frequency range for diagnostic ultrasound.
employed in medical diagnostic or  1940s ultrasound began to find
therapeutic ultrasound. application in industry as a
nondestructive testing agent.
MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC  1950s applications that its
ULTRASOUND employment in medicine
-A modality that uses ultrasound energy began.
and the acoustic properties of the body to
produce an image from stationary and NATURE OF ULTRASOUND
moving tissues.  Simple harmonic motion and how
it can be described by the
 1870s- First artificial sources of sinusoidal curve. It showed three
ultrasound appeared. sine curves with their principal
parameters – velocity, frequency,
and wavelength- Identified. – they
 are also used to represent the o Pulsed repetition period
physical properties of ultrasound. (PRP)- the time from the
-Wavelength and frequency beginning of one pulse to
are inversely proportional at the next.
ag given velocity. o Pulsed duration (PD)-
 Electromagnetic radiation is The total time during which
Transverse wave in nature. pulse occurs. Equal to the
Ultrasound is a Longitudinal number of cycles in pulse
wave. – to-and-fro movement of divided by the frequency.
the air molecules is along the o Period- is the time required
direction of the sound waves, and for one wavelength or one
therefore these waves are called cycle of ultrasound.
longitudinal.
 Soundwaves are required medium WAVE EQUATION
for their transmission. Matter  Wave equation was
must be present for sound to described as follows:
travel. X-rays can travel in a Velocity = Frequency x
vacuum. Wavelength
 Continuous wave and Pulsed 1. This equation applies to
wave two types of ultrasound all wave phenomena,
employed in diagnosis. transverse and
 Continuous Wave- ultrasound longitudinal.
generating device, the transducer, 2. Electromagnetic
vibrates continuously. radiation, the velocity is
o Principally employed in constant
examinations of the fetal (c = 3 x 108 m/s), and
heart and blood flow by the the energy is directly
Doppler method. related to the frequency
 Pulsed Wave - is employed in and inversely related to
most imaging studies, including A- the wavelength.
mode, B-mode, M-mode, and real 3. When wave equation is
time. applied to ultrasound,
o These imaging studies are the velocity is variable.
based on pulse-echo Frequency and
techniques in which a pulse wavelength relate to
of ultrasound is emitted and image resolution and
the reflected ultrasound amplitude is the
wave, or echo, is received intensity.
by the same transducer
after a time delay. The velocity of Ultrasound in several
o Pulsed repetition rate materials of medical interest.
(PRR)- rest for a relatively Material Velocity (m/s)
long time before the next Air 348
pulse of ultrasound is Aluminum 2700
emitted. Beryllium 12,890
Blood 1570
 Bone 3360 WAVELENGTH - The length of a single
Fat 1500 cycle of the ultrasound wave
Liver 1550  Inversely
Muscle 1580 proportional to the
Oil 1500 frequency
Polyethylene 920  Determines the
Soft Tissue 1540 resolution of the
Water 1480 scanner
 Shorter
The higher the density, the higher is the Wavelength:
velocity sound.  Higher
Frequency
The velocity of ultrasound does not
 Better
depend on frequency, it is determined by
Resolution
the medium.
 Clearer
image
 Note that the velocity of
 More Details
ultrasound in bone is twice
on the
that in soft tissue and the
Screen
velocity in soft tissue is five
 Longer
times than in air.
Wavelength:
 Frequency and Wavelength
 Lower
are inversely proportional.
Frequency
As ultrasound frequency
 Poor
increases, the wavelength
resolution
decreases.
 Blurry
- Better Spatial
Image
Resolution: ability to
resolve small objects  Few details
improves. on the screen
-Shallow Penetration: not FOCUSING
deep, penetrability of the o Adjustment of the
beam decreases. ultrasound beam
- The beam becomes more o Used to improved
collimated and resolution
directional. o May be electronic or by a
- up to 15MHz, are lenses and mirror attached
employed for ultrasonic to the transducer
examination of small o Focused Ultrasound:
superficial structures such  A narrow beam
as the eye, thyroid, breast, images a thin
Testicles. section of tissue.
- around 1.5MHz, are used  Gives better detail.
for abdominal ultrasound  Note: Use different
examinations. transducers for
different purposes
and adjusting the
 focal zone on the o Weak echoes
unit as necessary. o Need to be amplified
 Superficial Structure: Strong
echoes.
VARIABLE FOCUS
o Composite BOUNDARIES
Transducers:
o Have an  The line at the periphery of two
electronically tissues which propagate ultrasound
variable focal differently.
length.  The zone of echoes at the interface.
o Can be adjusted  Ultrasound may be reflected or
to the required refracted (bent) when it meets the
depth boundary between two different
o Most Transducers: types of tissues.
have a fixed focal  Coupling Agent:
distance in at least one o Must be used for scanning
plane. o Rationale: to prevent air
o Annular Array Sector trapped between the skin
Transducer: only and transducer, acting as a
transducers that have an barrier to the ultrasound
adjustable electronic waves.
focus in all planes.  Reflection:
o Well Adjusted o The waves are thrown back
Focusing: o The greater the difference
o Provides a between the characteristic
narrow acoustic acoustic impedances, the
beam greater the fraction which is
o Provides a reflected.
thinner section
o Provides better  Specular Reflector:
resolution of o Reflective tissue that is
details. smooth and large in
o Proves a clearer comparison with the
picture with ultrasound wavelength.
more o Occurs if the reflecting
information. boundary is much wider
than the wavelength (e.g.
AMPLIFICATION 10 or 20 times wider) and
 Done by the time-gain- acts like a mirror.
compensation (TGC) amplifier. o Examples:
 Used to compensate for ultrasound  Walls of Vessels
attenuation in any part of the body.  Tissue membranes
 Used to improve the quality of the  Connective tissues
final image.  Fetal Skull
 Deeper Structure:
  Diaphragm Less penetrating More penetrating
 Refraction: More readily scattered Less likely Scattere
o The waves change in For superficial structures For deep structures
direction and are not Better resolution Poor resolution
necessarily reflected. Better Image detail Poor image detail
o The greater the ratio of
propagation speed, the END OF (1) DISCUSSION………….
greater the refraction.

PJMT, RRT 😊
BEAMINTENSITY
 The power flowing through a unit
area.
 Measured in watts.

ATTENUATION
 Decrease in the intensity and
amplitude of the ultrasound waves
as they pass through tissues.
 Unit: decibels per centimeter
 Higher Frequency Ultrasound
Beam: Used to image small body
parts or organs close to skin
surface.
o Examples:
 Thyroid
 Breast
o Frequency range: 7.5-
10MHz
 Lower Frequency Ultrasound
Beam: Used for body parts
requiring greater travel distance of
soundwaves. Used to image
structures at significant depths.
o Examples: Abdominal
Imaging
o Frequency range: 3.5-5
MHz
Most medical imaging applications
are ultrasound frequencies in the
range of 2-10 MHz

HIGHER FREQUENCY
Shorter wavelength Longer wavelength
Increases absorption Decreases absorption
Reduces the depth of penetration Increases the depth of beam penetration