Ultrasound transducer selection in clinical imaging practice

Many types of medical ultrasound transducers are used in clinical practice. They operate at different center frequencies, have different physical dimensions, footprints, and shapes, and provide different image formats. However, little information is available about which transducers are most appropriate for a given application, and the purpose of this article is to address this deficiency. Specifically, the relationship between the transducer, imaging format, and clinical applications is discussed, and systematic selection criteria that allow matching of transducers to specific clinical needs are presented. These criteria include access to and coverage of the region of interest, maximum scan depth, and coverage of essential diagnostic modes required to optimize a patient's diagnosis. Three comprehensive figures organize and summarize the imaging planes, scanning modes, and types of diagnostic transducers to facilitate their selection in clinical diagnosis.