ARDMS SPI - ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation Quality Assurance and Phantoms Questions and Answers

Question 1

A sonographer is performing a quality assurance test on a duplex ultrasound system to verify the accuracy of spectral Doppler velocity measurements. Which type of phantom is most appropriate for this task?

Accepted Answer

Doppler flow phantom

Answer

A Doppler flow phantom is specifically designed to evaluate Doppler systems. It contains a blood-mimicking fluid that moves at known velocities through tubes, allowing for the verification of velocity accuracy, color flow sensitivity, and spectral Doppler measurements. The other phantoms are designed for B-mode imaging evaluation.

Question 2

While performing a routine QA scan on a phantom with pins spaced exactly 30 mm apart vertically, a sonographer measures the distance between two pins as 32.5 mm. This indicates a potential issue with which system parameter?

Accepted Answer

Vertical distance accuracy

Answer

Vertical distance accuracy assesses the system's ability to correctly measure distances parallel to the ultrasound beam's axis. A discrepancy between the known distance in the phantom and the measured distance on the system indicates a calibration error in depth measurement.

Question 3

A quality assurance program requires testing the system's ability to place echoes in their correct positions on the display, ensuring that a pin target appears in the same location whether imaged from the top or side of the phantom. Which parameter does this test evaluate?

Accepted Answer

Registration accuracy

Answer

Registration accuracy is the ability of the system to display echoes in their proper anatomical positions on the screen. This test ensures that the system's internal coordinate system is correctly calibrated, so structures are mapped accurately in A-mode, B-mode, and M-mode.

Question 4

During a quality assurance check, a sonographer notes that small reflectors located in the first centimeter of the image, immediately below the transducer face, are not visible. This finding suggests a problem with which performance parameter?

Accepted Answer

Dead zone

Answer

The dead zone is the region near the transducer face where imaging is inaccurate due to the time required for the system to switch from transmitting a pulse to receiving echoes. Reflectors within this zone may not be properly displayed. It is measured by finding the shallowest depth from which a uniform echo is displayed.

Question 5

A sonographer performs a sensitivity test as part of a quality assurance protocol. This test is designed to assess the system's ability to:

Accepted Answer

detect and display weak echoes from deep structures.

Answer

Sensitivity, also known as maximum depth of penetration, evaluates the ability of the ultrasound system to detect and display the weakest-amplitude echoes from reflectors located deep within a phantom. It is a measure of the system's overall performance in penetrating tissue and receiving faint signals.

ARDMS SPI - ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation Practice Test

ARDMS SPI - ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation Practice Test

ARDMS SPI - ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation Quality Assurance and Phantoms Questions and Answers