
6
BEAM PROFILE, FOCAL ZONE AND LATERAL RESPONSE WIDTH (CONTINUED)
Results
The beam profile should remain consistent from week to week, when using the
same instrument settings, transducer and the Model #538NH phantom. Compare
the test results obtained with a baseline or previous test. If the current image dem-
onstrates changes in the system, investigation should be made to determine the
cause.
ELEVATIONAL TESTING
A third component of spatial resolution,
the slice thickness, is often referred to as
the elevation resolution. A sound beam
travels through a medium along the beam
axis until it reaches an interface which is
perpendicular to the axis of the
sound beam, creating a two-dimensional
image. The image resolution is depedent
upon the degree of axial and lateral resolu-
tion of the diagnostic system. Elevational resolution displays reflections produced by
structures in front of or behind the beam's main axis. The effect of changes in the
slice thickness measurements are identical to those seen with axial and lateral reso-
lution. The smaller the slice thickness measurement the better the resolution, as the
slice thickness increases, the degree of spatial resolution decreases. In diagnostic
ultrasound, this factor becomes critical in determining an imaging system's ability
to detect and display small isolated lesions or structures of low contrast, which may
appear to be filled-in and go undetected.
ELEVATIONAL TESTING (CONTINUED)