Ultrasound history

Griffin and Galambos (1940)

DR Griffin “Listening in the dark” New Haven, 1958
The Curie brothers described the piezoelectric phenomenon in 1880

Paul Langevin: first use of the piezoelectric phenomenon in World War

I as an underwater orientation device
 NON MEDICAL USE

Firestone (1942) “ Reflectoscope”

MEDICAL USE

Ludwig (1949) gallstone display in patients

OPHTHALMOLOGY
Mundt and Hughes, 1956
Oksala and Lethinen, 1957

Buschmann Gernet Ossoinig

‘60 Baum and Greenwood
Bronson
 Echographic diagnostic media are based on the interaction between

a physical phenomenon induced by

external source (oscillatory energy) and the biological structures whose answer
depends on:
1- quality of the ultrasound emission
continuous vs. pulsed
fundamental frequency
pulse duration
pulse repetition frequency

2 - their geometrical characteristics

dimensions in respect to the ondulatory parameters,
spatial orientation in respect of the direction of the beam,
depth/distance from the ultrasound source,
structure, distance, topographical relationship with the
sorrounding biological structures

3 - their physical properties

density,
rigidity
 ULTRASOUND EMISSION

continuous

pulsed

f : frequency i.e. the number of oscillation per second (s) e.g. 5 Hz

λ: wavelenght i.e. distance between two isophase points ; T: duration of one oscillation
Pulse duration depends on how many oscillations there are in one pulse
Pulse repetition frequency depends on how many pulses and pauses per second
(Mazzeo, 1987)
ULTRASOUND EMISSION

(Pavlin and Foster, 1994)

ULTRASOUND EMISSION

(Guthoff,1991)

(Pavlin and Foster, 1994)

 ULTRASOUND EMISSION

“The propagation of a sound wave corresponds to an energy transfer without a transfer of matter…..
The energy flow per unit time through the unit surface perpendicular to the propagation direction is
termed acoustic energy flux or, more frequently, acoustic intensity”
(Grandolfo e Vcchia,1987)

(Coleman et Al.,2006)
A
T
T
E
N
A = amplitude ; z = distance from the us source

U
A
A –αz
T
α = pressure attenuation coefficient of the medium
I α increases in an approximately linear manner with

O frequency

N
R
E

F
L
C

N
(Coleman et Al.,2006)
R

Coleman et Al.,2006)
R
E
F
R
A
C
T
I
O
N

(Coleman et Al.,2006)
REFRACTION

(Verbeek,2000)
 λ = sound velocity x f

R
E
F
R
A
C
T
I
O
N
(Coleman et Al.,2006)
(Coleman et Al.,2006)
 (Coleman et Al., 2006)

(Pavlin and Foster, 1994)

(Guthoff,1991)
Zt (arrow) = D2/4λ

Xf (arrows)= 2.44 λF/D

(Guthoff,1991)

(Mazzeo, 1987)
 (Guthoff,1991)

(Coleman et Al., 2006)

 Receiver most important functions:
- amplification of the electric signal coming
from the transducer
- to make the electric received signals compatible
with the display necessity

(Coleman et Al., 2006)

(Guthoff,1991)
 Axial resolution

(Frazyer Byrne and Gren, 1992)

A pulse duration T yields an axial resolution equal to sound.vel. x T

2

if sound velocity is 1,500 m/sec the axial resolution (mm) is 0.75T

 Lateral resolution

Xf = 2.44 λF/D
Xf = 2.44 sound.vel.x F
fxD

The lateral resolution of an ultrasound device is often

characterized by the half-width of the sound field in the focus
Example:
sound velocity = 1.5 mm/sec
transducer-focus distance T = 25 mm
transducer frequency f = 10 MHz
transducer diameter D = 5 mm

Xf = 1.8 mm
(“Job” byFrancesco Messina ,Italian Sculptor, 1900-1995 )