1. Historically, the development of ultrasound began shortly after:
a. | Radio communication in World War I |
b. | Sonar in World War II |
c. | Nuclear testing in World War II |
d. | The launching of Sputnik |
ANS: B
World War II brought sonar equipment to the forefront for defense purposes. Ultrasound was influenced by the success of sonar equipment.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
OBJ: Detail a timeline for pioneers in the advancement of medical diagnostic ultrasound.
TOP: History of ultrasound
2. The early applications of obstetric ultrasound were initiated by:
a. | Joseph Holmes |
b. | Ian Donald |
c. | John Howry |
d. | William Fry |
ANS: B
The early obstetric compound scanner was built by Tom Brown and Dr. Ian Donald in Scotland in 1957.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 6
OBJ: Detail a timeline for pioneers in the advancement of medical diagnostic ultrasound.
TOP: History of ultrasound
3. Visualization of the cardiac structures in the heart was discovered by:
a. | Joseph Holmes |
b. | Ian Donald |
c. | Hertz and Edler |
d. | George Ludwig |
ANS: C
In 1954, echocardiographic techniques were developed in Sweden by Drs. C.H. Hertz and I. Edler.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 6
OBJ: Detail a timeline for pioneers in the advancement of medical diagnostic ultrasound.
TOP: History of ultrasound
4. Which one of the following statements about the role of sonographers is false?
a. | Sonographers perform ultrasound studies and gather diagnostic data independent of the physician. |
b. | Sonographers must possess intellectual curiosity and perseverance. |
c. | Sonographers must have a technical aptitude. |
d. | Sonographers must be able to communicate on different levels. |
ANS: A
A sonographer performs ultrasound studies gathering diagnostic data under boththedirect and the indirect supervision of a physician. They also must assess clinical history and symptoms, interpret laboratory values, and understand other diagnostic examinations.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 3
OBJ: Describe a career in ultrasound.
TOP: Role of the sonographer
5. In soft tissues, the assumed propagation velocity is (in meters per second):
ANS: C
In soft tissues, the assumed propagation velocity (speed) is 1540 meters per second.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 8
OBJ: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and terminology of ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
6. Diagnostic ultrasound uses the frequencies of:
a. | 10 to 15 kHz |
b. | 1 to 20 kHz |
c. | 100 to 1000 Hz |
d. | 1 to 20 MHz |
ANS: D
Diagnostic application of ultrasound uses frequencies 1 to 20 million cycles per second (1 to 20 MHz).
PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
OBJ: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and terminology of ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
7. Which one of the following correctly defines dynamic range?
a. | Field farthest from the transducer during formation of the sound beam |
b. | Ratio of the largest to the smallest signals that an instrument can respond to without distortion |
c. | Minimum distance between two structures positioned along the axis of the sound beam |
d. | Measure of the strength of the ultrasound signal |
ANS: B
Dynamic range is the ratio of the largest to the smallest signals that an instrument or component of an instrument can respond to without distortion.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 17
OBJ: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and terminology of ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
8. The device that converts energy from one form to another is called the:
a. | Digitizer |
b. | Transducer |
c. | Scan converter |
d. | Beam former |
ANS: B
Piezoelectric elements (transducers) convert electric energy into ultrasound energy and vice versa.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 11
OBJ: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and terminology of ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
9. The _____ is the product of the velocity of sound in a medium and the density of that medium.
a. | Acoustic impedance |
b. | Sound reflection |
c. | Angle of reflection |
d. | Piezoelectric effect |
ANS: A
The acoustic impedance is equal to the density multiplied by the sound propagation speed.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
OBJ: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and terminology of ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
10. The angle of reflection is equal to the:
a. | Acoustic impedance |
b. | Angle of incidence |
c. | Refraction |
d. | Image resolution |
ANS: B
Angle of reflection is the angle between the reflected sound direction and a line perpendicular to the media boundary.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
OBJ: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and terminology of ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
11. The best transducer to image the thyroid gland is:
a. | Curved array, 3 MHz |
b. | Linear array, 5 MHz |
c. | Sector array, 4 MHz |
d. | Linear array, 3 MHz |
ANS: B
High-frequency linear array transducers are generally used for smaller structures.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
OBJ: Identify ultrasound instruments and discuss their uses.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
12. The display mode that shows time along the horizontal axis and depth along the vertical axis is:
a. | A mode |
b. | B mode |
c. | M mode |
d. | Real time |
ANS: C
Motion mode (M mode) displays the depth along the vertical axis versus the time along the horizontal axis.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 14
OBJ: Identify ultrasound instruments and discuss their uses.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
13. Which one of the following statements about the Doppler principle is false?
a. | Doppler refers to a change in frequency in which the motion of laminar flow is detected within a vascular structure. |
b. | The beam should be perpendicular to the flow. |
c. | The Doppler shift is directly proportional to the velocity of the red cell. |
d. | If the cell moves away from the transducer, then the fall in frequency is directly proportional to the velocity and direction of the red blood cell movement. |
ANS: B
The beam should be parallel to the flow to obtain the maximum velocity. The frequency of the Doppler shift is proportional to the cosine of the Doppler angle. At a 90-degree angle (perpendicular to flow), the Doppler shift is zero, regardless of the flow velocity.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 17
OBJ: Discuss three-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
14. The Fresnel zone is also called the:
a. | Far field |
b. | Focal point |
c. | Near zone |
d. | Nyquist limit |
ANS: C
The Fresnel or near zone is the field closest to the transducer during the formation of the sound beam.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 16
OBJ: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and terminology of ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
15. The higher the transducer frequency, the:
a. | Shorter the wavelength |
b. | Faster the frame rate |
c. | Deeper the penetration depth |
d. | Slower the frame rate |
ANS: A
The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
OBJ: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and terminology of ultrasound.
TOP: Sonography principles and instrumentation
