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Beam hardening in medical ultrasound refers to an artifact where the sound beam's average frequency increases as it travels deeper into tissue. This occurs because lower-frequency components of the ultrasound pulse are attenuated (absorbed) more rapidly than higher-frequency components. As a result, the beam becomes "harder," leading to brighter echoes and less accurate depth perception…

The mirror image artifact in medical ultrasound occurs when sound waves reflect off a strong, smooth reflector, like the diaphragm or pleura. This phenomenon creates a false, duplicate image of a structure appearing deeper than the real one, which is a common diagnostic pitfall. Recognizing this artifact is vital for accurate ultrasound interpretation, preventing misdiagnoses…

Reverberation ringing, a common artifact in medical ultrasound, appears as multiple bright, parallel lines on the image. This occurs when the ultrasound beam encounters two highly reflective surfaces, causing the sound waves to bounce back and forth between them before returning to the transducer. Such repetitive reflections create these spurious echoes, obscuring underlying anatomy and…

The reverberation artifact in medical ultrasound manifests as multiple bright, parallel lines on the image. This common imaging distortion occurs when the ultrasound beam repeatedly bounces between two highly reflective, parallel surfaces within the body, such as air-filled structures or metallic objects. These repetitive reflections create spurious echoes that appear deeper than the actual structure,…

Noise artifact in medical ultrasound refers to random, unwanted echoes or signals that degrade image quality, appearing as a grainy or "snowy" appearance on the display. These distortions can obscure true anatomical structures and subtle pathologies, making accurate diagnosis challenging for sonographers. Common sources include electrical interference, patient movement, or inherent limitations of the ultrasound…

The comet-tail artifact in ultrasound is a specific type of reverberation artifact, appearing as a series of closely spaced, bright, linear echoes extending downward from a highly reflective object. This artifact is often seen when sound waves encounter small, highly reflective structures like cholesterol crystals in the gallbladder or gas bubbles, causing the sound to…

In medical ultrasound, a ring-down artifact appears as a continuous, bright, hyperechoic streak originating from a highly reflective interface. It's caused by the resonance of sound waves within a small, fluid-filled structure, such as gas bubbles or cholesterol crystals. This artifact is distinct from reverberation, characterized by its unbroken appearance and consistent brightness, offering crucial…

The edge artifact in medical ultrasound manifests as a dark, anechoic band or shadow that appears behind highly curved or highly reflective structures, such as blood vessel walls or organ capsules. This artifact is a result of sound beam refraction and destructive interference at the edges of these structures. It can sometimes obscure underlying anatomy,…

Side lobe artifacts are common distortions in medical ultrasound imaging, appearing as false echoes adjacent to strong reflectors. These occur because the transducer's main sound beam is accompanied by weaker "side lobes" that can pick up reflections from off-axis structures. While the main beam focuses energy, these unintended emissions can interact with highly reflective objects,…