Development and implementation of a quality control protocol for B-mode ultrasound equipment

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Ultrasound Technology

Background:

• Quality assurance (QA) for ultrasound (US) equipment is not universally mandated.
• Greece lacks specific national regulations for US equipment use.
• Hospital accreditation in Greece necessitates a US equipment QA program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and implement a quality control (QC) protocol and QA program for ultrasound equipment in a Greek hospital setting.
• To address the absence of national norms for US equipment regulation.
• To ensure accreditation requirements for radiology departments are met.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a literature review on US QC/QA procedures.
• Developed a QC/QA protocol based on reviewed information.
• Acquired an appropriate US QC phantom for testing.
• Drafted and tested the protocol over 6 months, implementing the final version for 18 months on two US systems and five transducers.

Main Results:

• The QC protocol encompassed tests for mechanical/electrical safety, image display, uniformity, penetration depth, distance accuracy, greyscale, anechoic imaging, geometric distortion, and resolution.
• The uniformity test failed, revealing significant non-uniformities.
• Two linear transducers were replaced due to observed non-uniformities.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasound imaging is a safe modality, often preferred over ionizing radiation-based methods.
• The absence of routine QC/QA can lead to undetected equipment malfunctions and misdiagnoses.
• A QC/QA program is essential for error elimination and sustained performance of US equipment.