Physical and technical principles of sonography: A practical guide for non-sonographers

Abstract

Medical and health professionals who have not been trained in medical sonography are increasingly being asked to operate ultrasound equipment across a variety of niche applications. The quality of medical sonography images is very dependent on the operator. Any person who operates medical sonography equipment for any application should have a good understanding of the physical principles of sonography, and understand the controls available to them to optimise images and correct artefacts to ensure optimal patient care. This article provides a brief explanation of the physical principles of medical sonography, the controls that are available to the user to optimise images, and common artefacts that may occur.