Question

During a renal ultrasound, the sonographer finds it necessary to adjust controls on the ultrasound system to improve the image. What CANNOT be adjusted by the operator?

1) Output power
2) Amplitude
3) Frequency
4) Speed

Answer 1

During a renal ultrasound, the sonographer can adjust output power, amplitude, and frequency. However, the speed of sound is a constant property of the medium and cannot be adjusted by the operator.

Step-by-step explanation:

During a renal ultrasound, a sonographer may need to adjust various controls to improve the image quality. These adjustable settings typically include output power, which controls the strength of the ultrasound waves emitted; amplitude, which affects the echoes' detected strength; and frequency, which is the number of cycles of the ultrasound wave that occur in a second and can influence the resolution and depth of imaging. However, there is one parameter that cannot be adjusted by the operator, which is the speed of sound. The speed of sound through a medium, such as body tissue, is a constant that depends on the properties of that medium and is not adjustable by an ultrasound machine's settings.