UTC Quality Assurance & Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organization publishes the primary accreditation standards for diagnostic ultrasound in the United States?
- American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT)
- American College of Radiology (ACR) (Correct answer)
- Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS)
- Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
Correct answer: American College of Radiology (ACR)
The ACR publishes accreditation standards and practice parameters for diagnostic ultrasound facilities in the United States.
Question 2: What does the term 'dead zone' refer to in ultrasound quality assurance testing?
- The area beyond the focal zone where resolution degrades
- The region immediately below the transducer face where imaging is not possible (Correct answer)
- A lateral artifact from side lobes
- The area outside the beam width where no echoes are received
Correct answer: The region immediately below the transducer face where imaging is not possible
The dead zone is the near-field region directly beneath the transducer face where returning echoes cannot be detected due to ringdown artifact.
Question 3: When performing a sensitivity QA test on an ultrasound system, what is the primary parameter being evaluated?
- Lateral resolution at depth
- The system's ability to detect the smallest reflectors at a given depth (Correct answer)
- Frame rate consistency
- Doppler velocity accuracy
Correct answer: The system's ability to detect the smallest reflectors at a given depth
Sensitivity testing evaluates the system's ability to detect weak echoes from small reflectors, confirming adequate penetration depth.
Question 4: A QA phantom shows that the distance between two pins measuring 5 cm reads as 5.3 cm on the ultrasound system. This most likely indicates a problem with:
- Lateral resolution
- Axial resolution
- Speed of sound calibration (Correct answer)
- Dynamic range setting
Correct answer: Speed of sound calibration
Distance measurement errors are caused by incorrect speed of sound calibration in the system, leading to inaccurate depth readings.
Question 5: According to AIUM guidelines, how often should a complete QA equipment evaluation be performed on clinical ultrasound systems?
- Daily
- Weekly
- At least annually (Correct answer)
- Every five years
Correct answer: At least annually
AIUM recommends a complete QA evaluation of ultrasound equipment at least annually to ensure ongoing performance standards.
Question 6: Which QA test specifically evaluates the uniformity of echo amplitude across the image field?
- Axial resolution test
- Image uniformity test (Correct answer)
- Dead zone test
- Focal zone test
Correct answer: Image uniformity test
The image uniformity test checks for consistent echo amplitude throughout the scan field, identifying dead elements or artifacts.
Question 7: A sonographer notices progressive degradation in image quality over several months during routine QA checks. The most appropriate action is to:
- Continue scanning and report findings in annual review
- Immediately remove the system from service
- Document findings, notify supervisory staff, and schedule a service evaluation (Correct answer)
- Increase overall gain to compensate
Correct answer: Document findings, notify supervisory staff, and schedule a service evaluation
Progressive degradation should be documented and escalated to supervisory staff so a biomedical engineer or service technician can evaluate the equipment.
UTC Quality Assurance & Standards 2
Which organization publishes the primary accreditation standards for diagnostic ultrasound in the United States?