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ULTRASOUND

1 Ultrasound as used in diagnostic radiology:

a) is an electromagnetic radiation with a frequency of 1-15 MHz
b) has a wavelength of 0.1 – 1.5mm in soft tissue
c) is attenuated exponentially
d) is heavily absorbed in air
e) is reflected at tissue interfaces with different acoustic impedances

2 The absorption of ultrasound:

a) occurs as a result of longitudinal relaxation processes
b) is due to scattering
c) is primarily dependant on resonance coupling

3 Concerning Ultrasound
a) the velocity in water is twice that in muscle
b) for the same incident angle the refracted angle is greater at a soft
tissue/bone interface than at a soft tissue/fluid interface.
c) the velocity is dependent on temperature
d) impedance is inversely proportional to density

4 In the following statements concerning diagnostic ultrasound, ‘soft tissue’

excludes gas, cartilage and bone:
a) the attenuation coefficient of ultrasound in typical soft tissue when
expressed in units of dB cm–1, is approximately proportional to frequency
b) the attenuation coefficient at a given frequency is the same in all soft
tissues to within ± 10%
c) the speed of sound in most soft tissue is within 5% of 1540 ms–1
independent of frequency
d) the fraction of intensity reflected by a plane wave of ultrasound at normal
incidence to a flat interface between typical soft tissues is usually less
than 1%
e) a decrease in intensity by a factor of 2000 is equivalent to a change of –
33 dB (to the nearest dB)

5 The function of a swept gain amplifier in an ultrasound scanner is:

a) to increase the gain of the transmitter for improved penetration
b) to reduce high frequency noise in the received signal
c) to compensate for signal attenuation of deeper echoes
d) to increase the receivers signal band-width
e) to steer electronically the transmitted beam

6 Ultrasound used for diagnostic purposes:

a) has a wave length in tissue of the order of 1mm
b) is generated by a sodium iodide crystal transducer
c) has a mean intensity of the order of 10 watt per cm2
d) is readily transmitted from tissue to air

7 Ultrasound of the breast:

a) requires a 3.5 MHz transducer
b) is a sensitive indicator of microcalcification
c) can accurately distinguish cystic and solid lesions
d) is of no value in the young dense breast
e) typically demonstrates acoustic enhancement behind the nipple
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8 In ultrasound
a) ultrasound is produced by applying a magnetic field to a piezoelectric
crystal
b) velocity and frequency are constant regardless of wavelength
c) with a curved transducer, focal length will decrease with curvature
d) resolution is better in central axis of the beam
e) spatial resolution is improved with a shorter pulse width

9 Ultrasound used in diagnostic imaging

a) is a longitudinal pressure wave
b) will not travel through a vacuum
c) has a velocity of the order of15m/s in water
d) can be deflected by a magnetic field
e) attenuation is measured in decibels (dB)

10 The resolution of an ultrasound scanner

a) is improved along the beam axis by increasing the ultrasound pulse
height
b) is improved laterally by increasing the pulse repetition frequency
c) is dependent laterally on the beam width
d) with a mechanical is symmetrical in all axes
e) improves as the ultrasound frequency is increased

11 A pulse of ultrasound from a medical transducer

a) has a velocity that is inversely proportional to the media density
b) propagates with a transverse wave motion
c) has a band width that is inversely proportional to pulse length
d) has the lower frequencies within its spectrum preferentially absorbed by
the media
e) is diffracted by small targets of similar dimensions to the beam

12 concerning diagnostic ultrasound

a) modern piezoelectric crystals are quartz compounds
b) a piezoelectric with a high Q factor makes a good receiver of echoes
c) the diameter of the crystal determines the resonant frequency
d) increasing the frequency increases the absorption of the sound
e) the absorption coefficient for fat is higher than that of water

13 In the display of an ultrasound image

a) A-mode utilises a moving time base
b) B-mode produces an image of a section or slice through the patient
c) returning echoes can be displayed either as white or black dots
d) a digital scan converter uses binary code storage
e) the time gain compensation graph is linear

14 Concerning the effects of ultrasound

a) heat results from the interaction of ultrasound and tissue
b) 'cavitation' occurs in the lungs
c) the intensity of the sound is unrelated to the chance of biological effects
d) medical ultrasound is safe
e) it does not cause ionisation
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15 In grey-scale, real-time ultrasound

a) returning echoes are assigned a shade of grey according to their intensity
b) at least 16 frames/second are needed for a flicker-free display
c) image resolution is increased when frame rate is increased
d) an increase in the number of lines per field of view requires a decrease in
the frame frequency
e) decreasing the angle of a sector scan has no effect on image resolution

16 Ultrasound:
a) is electromagnetic radiation
b) can be focused to a certain extent
c) at soft tissue to soft tissue interface about 3% is reflected
d) at soft tissue to bone interface about 40% is reflected
e) is safe at diagnostic energies

17 Ultrasound:
a) is sound above 20 kHz (cycles per second)
b) 1 MHz has wavelength of 1.5mm
c) the higher the frequency the better the resolution, hence use of 15–19
MHz in ophthalmic work
d) the higher the frequency the greater the penetration
e) lateral resolution of ultrasound is about 2cm
f) linear resolution of ultrasound is about 0.1mm
g) linear and lateral resolutions of X-ray film are less than 0.5mm

18 Ultrasound:
a) may be detected by a piezoelectric crystal
b) voltage changes across the crystal cause expansion and contraction
resulting in pressure waves
c) the same crystal cannot be used for producing as well as receiving
ultrasound
d) continuous sound is used to detect doppler effect
e) in pulsed ultrasound the pulse width is shorter than the listening interval

19 Ultrasound:
a) is used in short wave diathermy
b) produces heating of tissues
c) can be reflected
d) produces ionising radiation
e) produces blackening of a photographic emulsion
f) interfaces are not usually detected if less than 5% of the incident beam is
reflected
g) substances of different densities have different acoustic impedances

20 Ultrasound in clinical medical practice:

a) is used in 1-15 MHz range
b) uses wavelengths of 0.15mm –1.5mm
c) is completely attenuated in air
d) the longer the wavelength the better the resolution
e) is refracted at an interface
f) an interface is most clearly shown when incident beam strikes it at right
angles.
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21 Ultrasound:
a) has a speed of 3000 m/s in soft tissue
b) changing acoustic impedance causes refraction
c) delay can be used to decrease amplitude of strong echoes behind fluid
filled structures
d) time gain compensator is used to enhance echoes from deeper
structures

22 A phase arrayed ultrasound scanner can vary:

a) direction of beam
b) focal length
c) axial resolution
d) lateral resolution
e) pulse repetition frequency

23 An ultrasound beam travelling through soft tissues:

a) has approximately the same velocity as in water
b) has a velocity of approximately 1500m per second
c) the amount (i.e. angle) of refraction at an interface depends on the ratio
of the velocities of the two media
d) is attenuated at a rate of approximately 1 dB/MHz/cm
e) is usually in the frequency range 0.1 to 1 MHz for diagnostic purposes

24 Ultrasound reflected at the interface between two organs:

a) is optimum when the beam is incident at 90 degrees to the interface
b) relies on 5% of the beam reflected for adequate detection
c) requires the organs to remain stationary
d) there must be a density difference between the two organs
e) depends on the difference in the product of density and speed

25 Ultrasound:
a) causes heating of tissues as it is absorbed
b) slows down as it is absorbed
c) always travels in straight lines

26 US:
a) piezoelectric material distorts when subjected to mag. field
b) piezoelectric material produce pot. difference when distorted
c) max. transmission from transducer when crystal backed x air
d) high q factor crystal will produce wide range of amplitudes
e) impedence = density x particle veloctiy

27 Use of a preprocessing curve:

a) x noise in a B scan
b) x gain of A scan
c) expand displayed dynamic range of certain tissues
d) match hardcopy input + scanner output dynamic range
e) enables faster scan conv.

28 Ultrasound:
a) velocity of sound in water is approx. 1500 meters/second
b) velocity of sound waves proportional to frequency
c) cannot detect sound if <5% reflected from a surface
d) get reflection with a difference in products of velocity and density
e) for reflection, tissues should have a density difference
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29 The following statements are true concerning diagnostic ultrasound:

a) a 5MHz probe is suitable for examining the adult liver
b) the common bile duct can usually be demonstrated in normal subjects
c) the kidneys are best examined using a posterior approach
d) a linear scan motion demonstrates liver parenchyma more satisfactorily
than a compound scan in motion
e) better results are usually obtained in obese patients than in thin patients

30 In medical use of ultrasound:

a) the diagnostic frequency range is 1 – 15MHz
b) ultrasound waves are poorly absorbed in soft tissues
c) ultrasound waves pass readily through air
d) reflection of ultrasound waves occurs by the piezoelectric effect
e) the Doppler principle is employed to detect movement of structures

31 Ultrasonics used in medical diagnosis:

a) has atypical wavelength in tissues of about 1mm
b) is completely harmless to living tissues
c) can be used to locate some soft tissue interfaces
d) is used in preference to some radiation because it is more penetrating
e) can be used to measure instantaneous blood velocity

32 The length of US pulses is kept to absolute minimum to:

a) improve lat resolution
b) improve axial resolution
c) decrease us intensity produced
d) scattering is reduced
e) scattering is improved