The Regional Medical Physics Department, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, provides an ultrasound quality assurance programme for over 300 scanners in 40 hospitals and medical centres across the North East and Cumbria. Within this region, element drop-out is the single most commonly found image-degrading fault on ultrasound scanners and transducers.
With appropriate training and resources, ultrasound users should be able to detect element drop-out (and reduced sensitivity) on their linear and curved array transducers fairly easily. Once they have been trained, all the users need is a simple 'paperclip' type test tool, a basic understanding of the scanner's B-mode controls, and maybe five minutes of their time per day to check two or three transducers.
This talk provides an overview of transducer element drop-out for sonographers, radiologists and other ultrasound users. In particular, we describe some of the negative effects of element drop-out on image quality (and Doppler quality), some simple methods of detecting drop-out, and what to do if drop-out is found. In addition, we discuss the role of ultrasound users in the testing of scanners in the context of the recent standard produced by the Royal College of Radiologists.
Reference: Royal College of Radiologists, 'Standards for Ultrasound Equipment' (RCR, London, 2005)
Dodds D, Feeney M, Tong J, Ward B. Transducer element drop-out - what ultrasound users need to know. BMUS Annual Scientific Meeting, Harrogate, 11th-13th December 2007.
Dr. Barry Ward, NGH Unit, Newcastle upon Tyne. Tel: +44 (0)191-233-6161.
Regional Medical Physics Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7DN, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)191-233-6161 E-mail: webmaster@rmpd.org.uk Web: http://www.rmpd.org.uk
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