Abstract
Sound transmission is dependent on the conducting medium. Sound is reflected at interfaces of mismatch of acoustic impedance. The resolution of an ultrasound image is dependent on the frequency, the focused beam width, and the quality of the electronic processing. Resolution improves with higher frequencies, but the depth of imaging suffers. Image artifacts such as shadowing and enhancement provide useful information, rather than just interfering with creation of a clear image. The current image quality, affordable cost, and ease of performance make real time ultrasound an integral part of the clinical evaluation of the thyroid patient.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Meritt CRB. Physics of ultrasound. In: Rumack CM, Wilson SR, Charboneau JW, Levine D, editors. Diagnostic ultrasound. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2011. p. 2–33.
Levine RA. Something old and something new: a brief history of thyroid ultrasound technology. Endocr Pract. 2004;10(3):227–33.
Coltrera MD. Ultrasound physics in a nutshell. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2010;43(6):1149–59.
Ahuja A, Chick W, King W, Metreweli C. Clinical significance of the comet-tail artifact in thyroid ultrasound. J Clin Ultrasound. 1996;24(3):129–33.
Szopinski KT, Wysocki M, Pajk AM, et al. Tissue harmonic imaging of thyroid nodules: initial experience. J Ultrasound Med. 2003;22(1):5–12.
Lin DC, Nazarian L, O’Kane PL, et al. Advantages of real-time spatial compound sonography of the musculoskeletal system versus conventional sonography. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2002;179(6):1629–31.
Shapiro RS, Simpson WL, Rauch DL, Yeh HC. Compound spatial sonography of the thyroid gland: evaluation of freedom from artifacts and of nodule conspicuity. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2001;177:1195–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Levine, R.A. (2013). Thyroid Ultrasound Physics. In: Baskin, Sr., H., Duick, D., Levine, R. (eds) Thyroid Ultrasound and Ultrasound-Guided FNA. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4785-6_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4785-6_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4784-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4785-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)