Descriptive Terminology

Bright posterior through transmission

Bright posterior through transmission

acoustic enhancement

an artifact produced by over amplification of ultrasound echoes posterior to a fluid structure

acoustic enhancement

_____________________________ can occur posterior to other types of that have a low attenuation rate

acoustic enhancement

sound that travels through an anechoic (fluid filled) substance and is not attenuated

acoustic enhancement

appears as a hyperechoic region beneath tissues with abnormally low attenuation

acoustic enhancement

the sound bean is attenuated by a solid or calcified object

acoustic shadowing

appears as a hypoechoic or an anechoic region extending downward from a strong attenuating medium

acoustic shadowing

an area of the patient that is free of bone or gass that allows optimum transmission

acoustic window

tissues with low attenuation rates provide

the best acoustic window

well-defined echogenic walls without internal echoes

anechoic or sonolucent

fluid filled and transmits sound easily

anechoic / sonolucent

property of being echo free or without echoes

anechoic / sonolucent

examples of anechoic or sonolucent

simple cysts vascular structures distended urinary bladder gallbladder amniotic cavity

ultrasound signal received from a reflection at a tissue interface

echo

portions of an image that are brighter than surrounding tissues

hyperechoic

interface between two fluids with different acoustic characteristics

fluid level

examples of hyperechoic

gallstones renal calyx bone fat fissures ligaments

portions of an image that is not as bright as surrounding tissues, or tissues that appear less bright than normal

hypoechoic

organs with homogenous texture:

liver thyroid testes myometrium

examples of hypoechoic:

lymph nodes GI tract

usually refers to a diffuse disease process or metastatic disease

infiltration

the surface forming the boundary between two tissues which have different acoustic properties

interface

structures with equal echo brightness

isoechoic

comparing brightness of two different things

isoechoic