Practice Test Geeks(VT) Vascular Technician Certification Practice Test
← All VT Flashcard Decks

Ultrasound Physics & Doppler Principles Flashcards

7 cards from real VT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Ultrasound Physics & Doppler Principles flashcards as text

  1. What phenomenon occurs when the ultrasound beam strikes a smooth, flat interface larger than the wavelength?

    Answer: Specular reflection

    Specular reflection occurs at large, smooth interfaces where the beam reflects at an angle equal to the angle of incidence.

  2. The Nyquist limit in pulsed-wave Doppler is equal to:

    Answer: One-half the pulse repetition frequency

    The Nyquist limit equals PRF/2; velocities exceeding this cause aliasing in pulsed-wave Doppler.

  3. Which parameter most directly controls the depth of penetration of an ultrasound beam?

    Answer: Frequency

    Lower frequencies penetrate deeper because they are attenuated less per centimeter of tissue.

  4. In continuous-wave Doppler, which limitation does NOT apply?

    Answer: Nyquist limit

    CW Doppler has no PRF, so there is no Nyquist limit and it can detect very high velocities without aliasing.

  5. Acoustic impedance (Z) is defined as the product of:

    Answer: Density and propagation speed

    Z = ρ × c, where ρ is tissue density and c is the speed of sound in that medium.

  6. A color Doppler display showing flow encoded in blue away from the transducer and red toward it follows which convention?

    Answer: BART (Blue Away, Red Toward)

    BART is the standard color Doppler convention: Blue Away, Red Toward the transducer.

  7. Which artifact appears as equally spaced, repeated copies of a structure deeper than the true structure?

    Answer: Reverberation artifact

    Reverberation artifacts occur when sound bounces repeatedly between two strong reflectors, producing equally spaced copies.

How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

  1. inteleos.org — Test delivery, eligibility, test dates, score validity, retake policy, passing score, exam information · verified Nov 2026
  2. ardms.org — Exam format, registration, score release, time limit · verified Oct 2026