ARDMS Ultrasound Physics & Instrumentation Practice Exam 2025 - Free Ultrasound Practice Questions and Study Guide

Reverberation artifacts in an ultrasound image are indicative of multiple echoes bouncing between reflective surfaces, such as between the transducer and a strong reflector. When ultrasound waves encounter highly reflective interfaces, they can bounce back and forth, creating a series of echoes. This phenomenon can mimic real structures on ultrasound, leading to misinterpretations of the image.

Understanding this artifact is crucial for accurate image interpretation, as reverberation can create false positive signs of structures that may not actually be present. The presence of echo patterns that are consistent with reverberation, such as equidistant lines or a series of echoes resembling a ladder, suggests that the echoes are recording reflections from more than one interface.

While other options may involve different aspects of ultrasound physics, they do not pertain directly to the concept of reverberation artifacts. For instance, continuous blood flow relates to Doppler ultrasound, improper calibration affects image quality but does not create reverberation, and entrapped gas or air contributes to shadowing or propagation speed errors rather than multiple echoes. Understanding reverberation is key for students preparing to interpret ultrasound images accurately, especially in distinguishing between real anatomy and artifacts.