Chapter 1 – The History of Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Sonographers

Thirty question-and-answer flashcards covering definitions, historical milestones, key contributors, technological advances, professional terminology, and certification facts from Chapter 1.

What sound-frequency threshold defines ultrasound?

Any sound with a frequency higher than 20 kHz (20,000 Hz).

Into which three ranges are sound frequencies divided?

Infrasound (< 20 Hz), audible sound (20 Hz–20 kHz), and ultrasound (> 20 kHz).

Name two common non-medical applications of ultrasound.

Automatic door openers and detecting flaws in metals (nondestructive testing).

What is sonar’s primary use of ultrasound?

Locating objects underwater and determining their distance from the source.

List two therapeutic medical uses of high-power ultrasound.

Physical or occupational therapy to increase blood flow and lithotripsy to break up gallstones, kidney stones, or heel spurs.

What is the most common use of ultrasound in medicine?

Diagnostic imaging (diagnostic ultrasound).

Which term specifically refers to the diagnostic imaging application of ultrasound?

Sonography (also called ultrasonography).

Sonography is the oldest medical imaging modality.

Third.

Which brothers discovered the piezoelectric effect in 1880, paving the way for ultrasound transducers?

Jacque and Pierre Curie.

Who invented a sonar-type device in 1915 to detect submarines?

Paul Langevin.

Who first used ultrasound to detect gallstones during the 1940s?

Ludwig.

Who pioneered the use of ultrasound to measure tissue thickness and built early internal scanners?

John Wild (with engineer John Reid).

What imaging approach did Wild and Reid’s B-mode technique introduce?

Two-dimensional (2-D) presentations of echo-producing interfaces (brightness modulation).

Which researchers introduced cardiac M-mode ultrasound in 1953?

Edler and Hertz.

For what major contribution is Ian Donald known in ultrasound history?

Discovering the first diagnostic applications of ultrasound and refining obstetric techniques.

Why did Ian Donald emphasize a full bladder during pelvic scanning?

A full bladder acts as an acoustic window, improving visualization of pelvic structures.

Who developed the first compound contact B-mode scanner and in what year?

Holmes, Wright, and Meyerdirk in 1962.

Who created the scan converter that enabled gray-scale imaging?

George Kossoff.

Which company was founded by Wilcox to advance diagnostic ultrasound?

Advanced Diagnostic Research (ADR) Corporation.

What type of equipment began replacing static B-scanners in the mid-1980s?

Improved real-time ultrasound machines.

Who developed the technique for determining blood-flow volume from Doppler measurements?

Baker.

What was groundbreaking about the Seattle group’s 1974 pulsed-Doppler scanner?

It combined pulsed-Doppler with 2-D gray-scale imaging, allowing imaging guidance for Doppler signal acquisition.

What did Japanese researchers show with color-flow mapping?

That tissue vascularity increases in malignant conditions.

Give two benefits modern technological advances have brought to ultrasound.

Ability to diagnose pathology previously requiring invasive or contrast studies, and portability through compact/handheld units for remote or space use.

What title was originally used for early sonographers?

Ultrasound technical specialists.

Distinguish between a technician and a technologist.

A technician typically has 6 weeks – 6 months of post-high-school training; a technologist is a specialist with deeper expertise in a technology.

Which organization provides certification for diagnostic medical sonographers, and when was it established?

The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS), established in 1975.

When did the ARDMS begin offering computer-based certification examinations?

1991.

Under what umbrella organization was the ARDMS restructured in 2016?

Inteleos.

What term describes a physician who interprets ultrasound studies?

Sonologist.