SyllabusThe subject will cover the following topics: Basic ultrasound physics:
Longitudinal waves, sound wave velocity, specific acoustic impedance, decibel notation, reflection and refraction of ultrasound, Snell's law, reflection and transmission coefficients, absorption, wave intensity and attenuation, basic transducer configuration designed for pulse-echo applications, acoustic and electric matching, Q-factor, bandwidth, frequency spectrum of pulses, near- and far- field configurations and dependence on frequency and crystal diameter, mechanical and electronic focussing of ultrasound beams.
Bioeffects and safety of diagnostic ultrasound:
Thermal effects, radiation force and pressure, stable and transient cavitation, bioeffects, diagnostic ultrasound dosimetry, safety margins, protection against ill-effects, AIUM and other safety recommendations.
A- and M-mode scanning:
Pulse-echo ranging, average ultrasound propagation speed, basic principles of A-mode instrumentation, instrumentation controls, time-gain-compensation (TGC), axial resolution, clinical applications, pulsed-mode, duty factor, power in ultrasound beams, ultrasound intensity descriptors (SATA, SPTA, etc.), M-mode instrumentation and applications.
Real-time B-mode scanning:
B-mode display on TV Monitor, digital scan converters, effect of matrix size and bit-depth, digital grey-scale displays, pre- and post-processing options, axial and lateral resolution, 2D real-time grey-scale scanning, frame-rates and temporal resolution, contact scanning and water-path delay scanning, grey-scale imaging artefacts, rapid mechanical probe scanning, linear and phased array electronic probe scanning, electronic focussing and steering, endosonography, 3D imaging, broadband imaging, instrument quality control.
Doppler instrumentation:
Doppler effect and frequency shift due to moving structures, continuous wave (CW) Doppler instrumentation, clinical use of CW Doppler, range-gated pulsed Doppler instruments, spectral analysis, aliasing, Nyquist criterion, Duplex Doppler, Colour and Power Doppler (briefly).
Bioeffects and safety of diagnostic ultrasound:
Thermal effects, radiation force and pressure, stable and transient cavitation, bioeffects, iagnostic ultrasound dosimetry, safety margins, protection against ill-effects, AIUM and other safety recommendations.
Abdominal ultrasound - 2D real-time applications:
Brief overview of sonographic terminology, sonography examinations (2D real-time) of the upper abdomen (including liver, gall bladder and bile duct, pancreas, spleen, renal, adrenal and blood vessels), consideration of patient appointments and patient preparation, indications and typical findings.
Obstetric ultrasound - 2D real-time applications:
(Only the outline and introduction is given of how ultrasound can assist in pregnancy management rather than going into diagnostic details): Early obstetrics, 18 week scan, later pregnancy scan, gestational analysis including foetal biometric quantities in determining gestational age ranges, and nuchal translucency intra-uterine growth retardation; typical foetal abnormalities.
Gynaecologic ultrasound - 2D real-time applications:
aspects of female pelvic scanning, including transvaginal and transabdominal (TV, TA) scanning, uterus in cyclic changes, pathology of uterus and ovaries, key aspects of ultrasonic diagnosis of ectopic pregnancies.
Vascular ultrasound applications:
(Only general principles rather than diagnostic details are given): 2D and colour/power Doppler imaging of carotid and peripheral arteries and veins. General considerations for estimation of flow parameters and stenosis, diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis.
Soft tissue and joints evaluation:
general principles and evaluation of soft tissue masses, thyroid and breast imaging.
Practical work
The practical work conducted in both in the physics lab as well as on the ultrasound real-time machine through the session will relate to a number of topics studied in lectures.
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