Ultrasound Equipments

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 Ultrasound Equipments
™The Physics of Ultrasound.

™The Principles of Ultrasound Diagnostic Equipment.

™Image Processing.

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 The Physics of Ultrasound
™The term ultrasound refers to acoustical waves
above the range of human hearing (frequencies
higher than 20 kHz).
™Ultrasound waves are vibrations or disturbances
consisting of alternating zones of compression and
rarefaction in physical medium such as gas, liquid,
or solid matter.
™It will be studied the following:
¾ Frequency
¾ Velocity
¾ Generation
¾ Reflection
¾ Beam pattern
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¾ Resolution
 Ultrasound Frequency
™Humans can hear only a limited rang of frequencies
(Audible spectrum).
™The frequency range of audible sound is
approximately 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
™Frequencies lower than 20 Hz are Infrasound and
frequencies higher than 20 kHz are called
Ultrasound
™Diagnostic ultrasound equipments used ultrasound
frequencies in the range of approximately 1 MHz to
15 MHz Ultrasound
0 20 Hz 20 kHz 1MHz 15 MHz

Infrasound Audible sound Diagnostic

Ultrasound 4
 Velocity of ultrasound waves
™The table shows velocity Material Velocity m/sec
of ultrasound waves to Air 330
each material of human Blood 1570
body Brain 1540
™The average velocity in Fat 1450
human body is about Soft tissue 1540
1530 m/sec, this Kidney 1560
average velocity will be Liver 1550
significant in the study
Muscle 1580
of equipment principles,
Skull bone 4080
which will be explained
Water 1480
later
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 Generation of ultrasound waves
™Piezo-electric effect: Ultrasound waves

¾ Transducer without any voltage

applied
¾ If we apply voltage in pulses the
transducer will expand and

Transducer
contract
¾ By applying this voltage in very ~
Voltage
quick pulses we can vibrate the
transducer and produce the
ultrasound wave
¾ If any external forces is applied
to the transducer a voltage is
generated
Ultrasound waves
¾ This phenomena is called
piezo-electric effect 6
 Voltage-ultrasound conversion
™In the practice high voltage pulses of about 100 V
are applied to the transducer
™The transducer converts the voltage pulses into the
ultrasound waves, which my be transmitted into the
human body
Transmission

Pulses Object
Transducer

Voltage Transducer Ultrasound waves

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 Ultrasound-voltage conversion
™When the ultrasound waves reach an object they
are reflected back to the transducer
™The reflection echoes are then converted by the
transducer into voltage to be used as reception
signals
Reflection

Echoes Object
Transducer

Voltage Transducer Ultrasound waves

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Voltage-ultrasound conversion

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 Ultrasound reflection
™Ultrasound waves transmitted
Transmitted
in the human body. U.S. wave
Z B = ρ B ∗ CB
™At the border of different
structures some of the Z A = ρ A ∗CA
transmitted waves are
reflected back according to
the acoustic impedance
Reflected
different between two U.S. wave
structures. Z B = ρ B ∗ CB
™Acoustic impedance:
Z A = ρ A ∗CA
Z = ρ ∗C Penetrated
U.S. wave
9 Z: Acoustic impedance
9 ρ: Density
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9 C: velocity
 Acoustic impedance
™The table shows acoustic Material Acoustic
impedance of each impedance
material in the human Air 0.00043
body Blood 1.62
™The average impedance Brain 1.6
is about 1.6 Fat 1.38
™Acoustic impedance of Soft tissue 1.6
each material is different Kidney 1.62
from each other and that Liver 1.66
is why U.S. waves are Muscle 1.7
reflected from the Skull bone 7.8
different structures Water 1.52
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 Ultrasound beam pattern
™ As it shown above, if there no Near field
acoustic lens on the transducer
surface, the ultrasound beam is
transmitted in a straight line in the
near field then begins divert from a
certain point in the far field as far field
shown above. This is called an
unfocused beam Near
field
™ If there an acoustic lens on the
transducer surface the ultrasound
beam will be focused and convert
as a certain point called the focal
Focal Far
point Lens
point field
™ We can say generally the focused
beam can obtain a clearer image. 12
 Resolution
™They are two major parameters, which influence
the diagnostic image quality these are axial and
lateral resolution
™Resolution can be defined as the ability of the
equipment to distinguish two separate objects

ΔX

ΔY
D

Transducer
ΔX: Axial resolution
ΔY: Lateral resolution

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 Axial Resolution
™ Axial resolutions describe resolution in the axial direction
™ Axial resolution is determined by the U.S. wave length and
frequency
™ If the U.S. beam use a short wave length as is shown above
we can distinguish two separate objects which are based
closed together in line in axial direction. This is because
wave length of the U.S. beam is shorter than the distance
between the two objects.

High frequency

A-Mode display

Low frequency
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 Axial Resolution
™ If the U.S beam uses a longer wave length as shown below,
we can not distinguish two separate objects, this is because
the wave length is longer than the distance between the
two objects
™ Because a higher frequency main a short wave length, we
can say generally: that the higher the U. S. frequency, the
higher the axial resolution

High frequency

A-Mode display

Low frequency

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 Lateral Resolution
™ Lateral resolution describes resolution in the lateral direction
™ If the U.S. beam is wide, as shown in the top figure, the
displayed object size may be bigger than the actual object
size so lateral resolution is poor.
™ If the U.S. beam is narrow the displayed object size will be a
closer to the actual size so lateral resolution is better.
™ Generally speaking: the narrow the U.S. beam, the higher
the lateral resolution. A A

B
B

Near field far field Displayed

Convergence Divergence Object size

A A
B B 16
 Relationship
™ This table shows the relationship between frequency,
resolution and penetration
™ In general, the higher the U.S frequency the higher the
resolution and the lower the penetration.
™ Conversely , the lower the U.S frequency the lower the
resolution but the higher the penetration.
™ To determine a wide range of diagnostic requirements we
need a wide range of U.S. frequencies
™ That is why there is a wide selection of probe frequency for
studies of different organs.

Frequency Low High

Resolution Poor Good
Penetration Good Poor
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 The principles of ultrasound diagnostic
equipment
™ Ultrasound Equipment

™ Display Mode

™ Electronic Focus

™ Two Dimensional Scanning

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 Principles of ultrasound equipment
™ Ultrasound Equipment: U.S diagnostic equipment uses a
pulse reflection system

T-Delay Pulse generator

R-Delay Receiver

Digital Scan
D.S.C
Converter

Organ
TV-monitor

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 Principles of ultrasound equipment
™ Pulse generator: A pulse circuit generate a high voltage
pulses, then the T-delay line circuit applies appropriate
delay time for each transmitted pulse for electronic focusing
of the U.S. beam
™ When the U.S. probe touches the patient skin surface U.S.
waves are transmitted to the patient
™ The delayed high voltage pulses are applied to the piezo-
electric transducer elements
™ They produce the U.S. waves, which will entire the patient,
and are reflected back by the intern structures.

T-Delay Pulse generator

Organ

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 Principles of ultrasound equipment
™ The reflected echo signals are received by the same probe
™ Then they are input into the R-delay line circuit to
compensate for the transmission delay factor of the pulses
and mix the echo signals.
™ Then the receiver circuit amplifies the mixed echo signal
from the R-delay line

R-Delay Receiver
Organ

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 Principles of ultrasound equipment
™ In new equipment the echo signals are produced using a
digital scan converter D.S.C
™ So that the image data is thought enter the frame menu
and read sequentially out in a format suitable for display on
TV-monitor. The result is real time imaging

R-Delay Receiver

Digital Scan
D.S.C
Converter

Organ
TV-monitor

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 Absorption
™ This table shows the absorption Material Absorption at
of MHz U.S. waves in each 1 MHz dB/cm
material Air 12
™ Absorption is measured in
Blood 0.2
decibels per centimeters (dB/cm)
Brain 0.9
™ Note that absorption in air and
skull bone is very high as shown Fat 0.6
in the table Soft tissue 0.8
™ If absorption is very high the Kidney 1
U.S waves can not pass through Liver 0.9
™ As a general rule U.S diagnosis Muscle 2.3
is not restructures containing
gas or structures hidden behind Skull bone 13
bon such as lung, stomach and Water 0.002
brain. 23
 Relationship between Depth and Time
™ The average velocity of U.S. in
the human body is about
1530 m/sec
Pulse Echo
™ At this velocity an U.S. wave will
take about 6.5 μsec to travel from
the probe transducer to a target 1
1 cm
cm below the skin as shown
13 μ sec
™ An additional 6.5 μsec is required Soft tissue
for the U.S. wave to return to the
probe transducer
™ As a result the total time taken for 1sec :1530 m ≡ X :1 cm ⇒
the U.S. wave to be transmitted 1
and received to and from a target, X = 1530 ∗ 100 cm = 6.5 μ sec
which is 1 cm from the transducer,
is about 13 μsec as shown 24
 Relationship between Depth and Time
™ The U.S. transmission timing and reception period are
determined by rate pulse
™ The rate pulse allows a reception period of up to 260 μsec.
This 260 μsec translate to distance of about 20 cm depth in
the human body
™ So we can say generally that the maximum scanning depth is
limited to this 20 cm

Pulse Echo

Depth
[cm]
Depth time
1 cm = 13 μsec
260 μ sec

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 Display Mode
™ We will explain some of the display modes for U.S.
imaging.
™ Here we will take about 3 of the most common modes.
they are:

1) A-Mode

2) B-Mode

3) M-Mode

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 Principles of A-Mode
™ A-mode display gives information about the distance
between tissue boundaries e.g. to measure organ thickness
™ If we observe an iconoscopes display, let the vertical
direction be the time or depth axis and let the horizontal
direction be the amplitude of the received signal wave
™ This display method is called Amplitude Mode or just
A-Mode

0 Amplitude

A-Mode
Amplitude-Mode

Depth
[cm] 27
 Principles of B-Mode
™ The B of B-Mode stands for brightness
™ Shifting the position of U.S. transmission and reception
results in scanning
™ Echo signals received and then go to intensity modulation
so that across sectional image can be displayed on CRT
™ Using this display method we can see internal structure I a
patient study

Width
Intensity
[cm]
⇒
modulation

B-Mode
Brightness-Mode
Depth
[cm] 28
 Principles of M-Mode
™ Here we illustrate M-Mode. The M of m-mode stands for
motion.
™ This display mod is useful for studying moving targets such
as inertial mitralvalve
™ The transducer position should remain fixed when using
this mode, while the display mode used customarily
screened in a movement code scrolling
™ Scrolling allows movement of the valve to be displayed as
an image Intensity
modulation Time
[sec]

M-Mode
Motion-Mode
Depth
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[cm]
Principles of M-Mode

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