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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,…

A beam width artifact in medical ultrasound occurs when the finite width of the ultrasound beam averages echoes from structures both within and adjacent to the intended path. This can lead to the appearance of false echoes or the blurring of small structures, making accurate diagnosis challenging. It is particularly noticeable with cystic lesions, where…

Anisotropy in ultrasound refers to the phenomenon where the appearance of a tissue or structure changes depending on the angle of the ultrasound beam. This is a crucial "artifact" in medical imaging, often seen in fibrous tissues like tendons and ligaments. When the beam is not perpendicular to the tissue fibers, echoes may be diminished,…

Speckle artifact in medical ultrasound refers to the grainy, salt-and-pepper appearance on an image, resulting from the constructive and destructive interference of scattered sound waves. This inherent imaging artifact, while degrading image quality, is distinct from true anatomical structures. Understanding speckle is crucial for accurate diagnostic interpretation, as it can obscure subtle pathologies or mimic…

The reverberation “ladder” artifact in medical ultrasound appears as multiple equally spaced, parallel bright lines decreasing in intensity with depth. This artifact is a common "artifact" phenomenon resulting from the ultrasound beam repeatedly bouncing between two highly reflective, parallel surfaces within the body, such as air-filled structures or metallic objects. This artifact can obscure underlying…