A proposed enhancement to the in air sensitivity test for ultrasound quality assurance
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Published on: July 29, 2013
1Radiation Protection & Radiology Physics, Lincoln County Hospital, Greetwell Road, Lincoln LN2 5QY, UK.
Purpose:
A number of guidelines for ultrasound quality assurance recommend the use of the in air reverberation depth as a proxy measure for sensitivity. The test is quantised, i.e. it depends on the brightness of the deepest in air reverberation. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible enhancement to the test, where the gain is reduced to determine the "reverberation threshold".
Methods:
The test was introduced in several ultrasound departments. Results were audited to determine agreement with annual tests of sensitivity using a tissue mimicking test object.
Results:
The new test was performed on 100 probes. A change in reverberation threshold was demonstrated in 9 probes; 8 of these also had changes in penetration and/or grey level in a tissue mimicking test object. Reduced penetration but no change in reverberation threshold was seen in 2 probes.
Conclusions:
The reverberation threshold provides a simple enhancement to the in air sensitivity test. Periodic sensitivity testing with a tissue mimicking test object remains important.
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