Basic Physics of Ultrasound
Basic Physics of Ultrasound
Basic Physics of Ultrasound
WHAT IS ULTRASOUND?
Ultrasound or ultrasonography is a medical imaging technique that uses high frequency sound waves and their echoes.
5. The machine calculates the distance from the probe to the tissue or organ (boundaries) using the speed of sound in tissue (1540 m/s) and the time of the each echo's return (usually on the order of millionths of a second).
6. The machine displays the distances and intensities of the echoes on the screen, forming a two dimensional image.
So.
All the energy comes from the transducer
All we see are reflections and scatter.
SOUND
Sound waves consist of mechanical vibrations containing condensations (compressions) & rarefactions (decompressions)that are transmitted through a medium. Sound is mechanical. Sound is not electromagnetic. Matter must be present for sound to travel
Compression wave
CATEGORIES OF SOUND
Infrasound (subsonic) below 20Hz Audible sound 20-20,000Hz Ultrasound above 20,000Hz Nondiagnostic medical applications <1MHz Medical diagnostic ultrasound >1MHz
THE TRANSDUCER
Piezo-electric crystal Converts electric signals to mechanical & vice versa Transmits pulses of sound into tissue and listens for echos Most of the time is spent listening for echoes
Transducer Power on
10-6sec
Perfect Reflection
Transducer
Object
If you know the velocity (c) then the distance is d=1/2 (cxt) C=fxl, so we can work out frequency and wavelength too
SOUND WAVES
WAVELENGTH IS VERY SMALL OBEY THE LAWS OF OPTICS
SOUND WAVES
Gathered into a narrow beam Reflected Refracted Scattered Absorbed Undergo interference