m
 






V



 

g
 
 

 
 

 


 V  
 


Ê Acts as both speaker & microphone
Ê Emits very short sound pulse
Ê Listens a very long time for returning echoes
Ê Can only do one at a time

   



       

  
 
 

Ê aoltage generated when certain materials are
deformed by pressure
Ê Reverse also true!
Ê Some materials change dimensions x 

  
Ê dimensional change causes pressure change
Ê when voltage polarity reversed, so is
dimensional change
a
V
 

 

Ê alternating voltage (AC) applied to

piezoelectric element
Ê Causes
Ê alternating dimensional changes
Ê alternating pressure changes
Ê pressure propagates as sound wave
V  




Ê dhat does your scanner know about
the sound echoes it hears?
! 

"










d
  

 

 

^ow  is the echo?

£  
 
   
  

d
  

 

 

dhat was the
   between
sound broadcast and the echo?
d

  

 

 

’he soundǯs pitch or frequency
 d
 

 





  

 
   

Ê Sound travels at 1540 m/s

everywhere in body
Ê average speed of sound in soft tissue

Ê Sound travels in straight

lines in direction
transmitted
Ê Sound attenuated equally
by everything in body
Ê (0.5 dB/cm/M^z, soft tissue average)
 
 
  
! "# 
V
$!

Ê Sound travels at 1540 m/s

everywhere in body
Ê average speed of sound in soft tissue

Ê Sound travels in straight

lines in direction
transmitted
Ê Sound attenuated equally
by everything in body
Ê (0.5 dB/cm/M^z, soft tissue average)
  
 $!
Ê •ot position ideally indicates
source of echo
Ê scanner has no way of knowing
exact location
Ê Infers location from echo

{
  
 $!

Ê Scanner aims sound when

transmitting
Ê echo assumed to originate from
direction of scannerǯs sound
transmission
Ê ainǯt necessarily so

{
 
!
Ê •ot positioned along assumed line
Ê Position on assumed line calculated based upon
Ê speed of sound
Ê time delay between sound transmission & echo

{
 

%
%  


Ê ’ime delay accurately measured by scanner

distance = time delay X speed of sound

ë

 ë
  ë

ë
ë
d
 
 %

Ê scanner assumes speed of sound is that of soft tissue
Ê 1.54 mm/‰sec
Ê 1540 m/sec
Ê 13 usec required for echo object 1 cm from transducer (2
cm round trip)

º ‰ 
º

 

 


  !

 
Ê Sometimes
X 
  


 
 
 

#



6
66
 ‰6


 ‰6

  ‰6

 ‰6
6
 ‰6
{
 "  
 %

Ê Vltrasound is gray shade modality
Ê Gray shade should indicate
echogeneity of object

{ {
^


 !  

 

!


Ê Based upon intensity (volume, loudness) of

echo

{ {
g  


Ê Loud echo = bright dot

Ê Soft echo = dim dot
3
 
 

Ê •eep echoes are softer (lower volume) than

surface echoes.
g  
  %


Ê Correction needed to compensate for sound

attenuation with distance
Ê Otherwise dots close to transducer would be
brighter

 
g  


Ê Gray Shade determined by

Ê Measured echo strength
Ê accurate
Ê Calculated attenuation

$
 %
  
   

Ê scanner assumes entire
  

 
body has attenuation of * ++
soft tissue
Ê actual attenuation X
 &'
varies widely in body
X  &'
X   &(
X    &)
X  º&
X   ºº
V  

 
Ê One sound pulse produces
Ê one image scan line
Ê one series of gray shade dots in a
line
Ê Multiple pulses
Ê two dimensional image
obtained by moving direction
in which sound transmitted
^d &#   
Ê Electronically
Ê Phased Arrays

d#  %
Ê Sound is a dave
Ê dave is a propagating (traveling)
variation in a Dzwave
wave variable
variabledz

Ê DzAn elephant is big, gray, and looks

like an elephant.dz

d# ' 
Ê Examples
Ê pressure (force / area)
Ê density (mass / volume)
Ê temperature
Ê Also called acoustic variable

ë
      

   
 



  ! (
Ê Power
Ê rate of energy use
Ê Vnits: watts or milliwatts
Ê Energy = Power X ’ime
Ê Vnits: kilowatt-hours

 


&&$
# 
- ,

 #   ,

 $ 

Ê Ô

 of Sound Beam
intensity = power / cross sectional area

d# ' 
Ê Îreeze time
Ê Measure some acoustic variable as a function of
position

  

a#
  a




 
&m
Ê Make multiple measurements of an acoustic
variable an instant apart
Ê Results would look the same but appear to move in
space


 &m
Ê ’rack acoustic variable
at one position over
time

d#

Ê daves transmit energy
Ê daves do not transmit matter
Ê DzCrowd wavedz at sports event
Ê peopleǯs elevation varies with time
Ê variation in elevation moves around stadium
Ê people do not move around stadium
 
#
d#

Ê Particle moves perpendicular to wave travel
Ê dater ripple
Ê surface height varies with time
Ê peak height moves outward
Ê water does not move outward
 

! 
d#

Ê 
  
  
 
 
x






  




$ 
 
 & 
Ê Material through which wave moves
Ê Medium not required for all wave types
Ê no medium required for electromagnetic waves
Ê radio
Ê x-rays

 ,
Ê infrared ! 
Ê ultraviolet 

Ê medium is required for sound
Ê sound does not travel through vacuum

d#

Ê Information may be encoded in wave energy
Ê radio
Ê ’a
Ê ultrasound
Ê audible sound

) * 

† of complete variations (cycles) of an acoustic
variable per unit time

Ê Vnits
cycles per second
1 ^z = 1 cycle per second
1 k^z = 1000 cycles per second
1 M^z = 1,000,000 cycles per second
Ê ^uman hearing range
20 - 20,000 ^z

) * 

Ê Vltrasound definition
> 20,000 ^z
Ê not audible to humans
Ê dog whistles are in this range
Ê Clinical ultrasound frequency range
1 - 10 M^z
1,000,000 - 10,000,000 ^z
 
Ê time between a point in one cycle & the
same point in the next cycle
Ê time of single cycle
Ê Vnits
Ê
    (sometimes expressed
only as time; cycle implied)

 



#

÷ ë

 

º
 
.

 / 
Ê as frequency increases, period decreases
Ê if frequency in ^z, period in seconds/cycle
 

 
.º+
 / 

Ê if frequency in k^z, period in msec/cycle
Ê if frequency in M^z, period in ‰sec/cycle
1 k^z frequency ==> 1 msec period
1 M^z frequency ==> 1 ‰sec period
m
 
 V

Î
  ë  

 

* +   
 +

*
   +

 + 
*

 ‰ +
 + 

  
0

 /  
  
# 

 
 
  
   
 

$
 %


 !
 
Ê Speed only a function of medium
Ê Speed virtually constant with respect to frequency
over clinical range
Ê Speed depends on mediumǯs
Ê •
 (mass per unit volume)
Ê more dense ==> lower speed
Ê 
 (or bulk modulus; opposite of elasticity or
compressibility)
Ê more stiffness ==> higher speed
Ê Dzsame letter, same effectdz
d# !
Ê distance in space over which single cycle
occurs
OR
Ê distance between a given point in a cycle &
corresponding point in next cycle
Ê imagine freezing time, measuring between
corresponding points in space between
adjacent cycles
d# !V

Ê length per cycle
Ê sometimes just length; cycle implied
Ê usually in millimeters or fractions of a millimeter for
clinical ultrasound
d# !*
Speed = davelength X Îrequency
[ c = Ú X

(dist./time) (dist./cycle) (cycles/time)

Ê As frequency increases, wavelength

decreases
Ê because speed is constant
d# !
Speed = davelength X Îrequency
c=ÚX

(dist./time) (dist./cycle) (cycles/time)
mm/‰sec mm/cycle M^z

Calculate davelength for 5 M^z sound

in soft tissue

$  .º(1+‰ +(

(.(
&&&
&&& + .( +‰ 

$  .º(1+(.& º+

 $  


#
 

 
   
 ,

$
 %
"

  



Ê Îor imaging ultrasound, sound is
Ê Not continuous
Ê Pulsed on & off
Ê ?n Cycle (speak)
Ê ’ransducer produces short duration sound
Ê ?ff Cycle (listen)
Ê ’ransducer receives echoes
Ê aery long duration

? ?

? ?

*

 
 


Ê Consists of
Ê short  transmission

Ê long   ÷eriod or dead time

Ê echoes received during silence

Ê same transducer used for

Ê transmitting sound
Ê receiving echoes


   




+
Ê ringing tele÷hone
Ê ringing tone switched
on & off
Ê Phone rings with a
÷articular ÷itch
Ê sound frequency


   


  


 
Ê frequency X    

Ê ÷eriod  / 
Ê wavelength X    

Ê ÷ro÷agation s÷eed  

X   

X 

X  
 
X   

m  ) * 

Ê † of sound ÷ulses ÷er unit time

Ê † of times ultrasound beam turned on & off ÷er
unit time
Ê inde÷endent of sound frequency
Ê determined by source
Ê clinical range (ty÷ical values)
Ê 1 - 10 K^z

m   
Ê time from beginning of one ÷ulse until
beginning of next
Ê time between corres÷onding ÷oints of adjacent
÷ulses



÷   ë

m   
Ê Pulse re÷etition ÷eriod is reci÷rocal of
÷ulse re÷etition frequency

.º+
Ê as ÷ulse re÷etition frequency increases, ÷ulse re÷etition
÷eriod decreases
Ê units
Ê time ÷er ÷ulse cycle (sometimes sim÷lified to just time)
Ê ÷ulse re÷etition ÷eriod & frequency
determined by 



Ê Pulse re÷etition frequency & ÷eriod inde÷endent sound
frequency & ÷eriod

 
 / 
 
  

 / 

 
 / 

 
  

 / 

 
Ê Length of time for each sound ÷ulse
Ê one ÷ulse cycle =
Ê one sound ÷ulse

one ÷eriod of silence
Ê Pulse duration inde÷endent of
duration of silence

 


 
Ê units
Ê time ÷er ÷ulse (time/÷ulse)
Ê equation
÷ulse duration = Period X † cycles ÷er ÷ulse

(time/÷ulse) (cycles/÷ulse) (time/cycle)

 
  


 

  


  / 2   
 / 

 

0   
 


  



 

  



 #
 
 


-  
 
  )

Ê Îraction of time sound generated
Ê •etermined by source
Ê Vnits
Ê none (unitless)
Ê Equations

•  3     •   +     

•  3     •   4    3 /

 •  

    

 
 !
Ê distance in s÷ace traveled by ultrasound
during one ÷ulse

5
^

  

 
 !

  .6   4-  

* + * + * + 

Ê de÷ends on source & medium

Ê as wavelength increases, s÷atial ÷ulse length
increases
d# !
Calculate SPL for 5 M^z sound in
soft tissue, 5 cycles ÷er ÷ulse

(davelength=0.31 mm/cycle)
  .6   4-  

 .& º+ 4( + .º((+


 
 !
  .6   4-  

$  .  +
 / 

Ê as † cycles ÷er ÷ulse increases, s÷atial ÷ulse

length increases
Ê as frequency increases, wavelength decreases &
s÷atial ÷ulse length decreases
Ê s÷eed stays constant
d 

 
 !
$ 
  .6   4-  

$  .  +
 / 

Spatial pulse
length determines
axial resolution



$
Ê •efinition


Acoustic Im÷edance = •ensity X Pro÷. S÷eed

(rayls) (kg/m3) (m/sec)

Ê increases with higher

Ê •ensity
Ê Stiffness
Ê ÷ro÷agation s÷eed
Ê inde÷endent of frequency
 


$ 
%
%



Ê •ensity:
Ê 1000 kg/m3
Ê Pro÷agation s÷eed:
Ê 1540 m/sec

Acoustic Im÷edance = •ensity X Pro÷. S÷eed

(rayls) (kg/m3) (m/sec)

º&&&+ 4º(1&+ .º

(1&
&&&
 d 



$ 

$ 
Ê •efinition
Acoustic Im÷edance = •ensity X Pro÷. S÷eed

(rayls) (kg/m3) (m/sec)

Ê •ifferences in acoustic im÷edance determine

fraction of intensity echoed at an interface