Gerardo Poli offers step-by-step instructions – in the form of a video tutorial – to help optimise your ultrasound image quality. He looks specifically at which functions to adjust first, and discusses which settings will be better under certain situations.
In my previous blog, I introduced the function of all the buttons and dials on the ultrasound machine. Once you are familiar with their functions, the next step is to learn how to use them to optimise image quality.
In this post, I will discuss – step by step – which functions you should adjust first, and the situations each setting will be better for.
1. Adjust depth
The organ of interest should take up three-quarters of the screen.
2. Adjust focal point
The machine will optimise the image at this particular depth.
Use the tract ball to move the focal point.
3. Adjust frequency
Adjust the frequency so it is optimised for that depth:
Reduce the frequency to visualise the liver, because it is deep.
Increase the frequency to visualise the kidney, because it is superficial.
Generally adjusting these three settings will be sufficient to optimise the image.
4. Adjust gain control
Increase or decrease the gain to optimise the echogenicity at the middle of the image, so it is producing mid-level echoes
5. Adjust time gain compensation
Use the dials to adjust the echoes coming from the near and far fields. Far fields may require amplification, while near fields may need suppression.
