Question

While scanning the heart from the apical window, the ventricular chambers are anechoic but artifactual echoes appear to fill the atria. Which of the following adjustments of the system controls would best address this issue?

A) Decrease near field gain levels
B) Switch to a higher frequency transducer
C) Increase output power to increase penetration
D) Decrease far field gain

Answer 1

To resolve the issue of artifactual echoes appearing in the atria during an echocardiogram, decreasing the far field gain on the ultrasound machine can help reduce these unwanted echoes and provide a clearer image.

Step-by-step explanation:

When scanning the heart using an echocardiogram from the apical window, it is not uncommon to encounter technical issues such as artifactual echoes. These artifactual echoes that appear to fill the atria instead of the anechoic appearance of the chambers can be addressed by making adjustments to the system settings. Specifically, decreasing the far field gain on the ultrasound machine can help reduce these unwanted echoes.

This is because far field gain specifically amplifies signals from deeper within the body, which is generally where the atria are located in relation to the transducer during an apical scan. By adjusting this setting to decrease sensitivity, it can help eliminate or reduce the artifact, providing a clearer and more accurate image of the atrial chambers.