Critical Care >Imaging of the Critically Ill Patient: Bedside Ultrasound

John M. Oropello, Stephen M. Pastores, Vladimir Kvetan+

Table 12–1Important artifacts in ultrasonography.

Artifacts Mechanism Description

Usually seen after an anechoic structure that does not attenuate

Acoustic enhancement Attenuation of sound the ultrasound wave and generates a brighter image than we
would expect.

Usually seen after a hyperechoic structure that obliterate the

Acoustic shadows Attenuation of sound
ultrasound wave and creates a dark shadow.

Consist of low-intensity ultrasound beams located outside of the

Side lobe artifacts Propagation
main beam, generating a “sludge” appearance.

Seen when ultrasound waves encounter a curved surface at a

Refraction “edge artifact” Propagation assumption tangential angle, these waves are scattered and refracted, thus
creating a linear shadow.

Seen when ultrasound waves travel through materials with

Refraction “ghosting” Propagation assumption
different acoustic transmission speeds causing a shadow.

Seen when ultrasound waves are reflected back and forth at close
Reverberation artifacts Propagation assumption
intervals, eg, A-line and B-lines.

Date of download: 01/01/23 from AccessMedicine: accessmedicine.mhmedical.com, Copyright © McGraw Hill. All rights reserved.