Four-Year Experience with a Clinical Ultrasound Quality Control Program

Hangiandreou, Nicholas J.; Stekel, Scott F.; Tradup, Donald J.; Gorny, Krzysztof R.; King, Deirdre

doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2011.05.007

Cited by 48 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…concluded that annual testing of the transducers is not sufficient and Hangiandreou et al 15. recommended quarterly assessment of both mechanical integrity and visual assessment of the uniformity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is therefore subject to become defective. Not surprisingly, it has been shown that the incidence of defective transducers in clinical practice is high 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. As an example of a clinically relevant effect of defective transducers, the accuracy of Doppler measurements has been shown to be affected when several adjacent elements in the transducers are dysfunctional 17, 18…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Method for automatic detection of defective ultrasound linear array transducers based on uniformity assessment of clinical images — A case study

Lorentsson

Hosseini

Johansson

et al. 2018

J Applied Clin Med Phys

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The purpose of the present study was to test an idea of and describe a concept of a novel method of detecting defects related to horizontal nonuniformities in ultrasound equipment. The method is based on the analysis of ultrasound images collected directly from the clinical workflow. In total over 31000 images from three ultrasound scanners from two vendors were collected retrospectively from a database. An algorithm was developed and applied to the images, 150 at a time, for detection of systematic dark regions in the superficial part of the images. The result was compared with electrical measurements (FirstCall) of the transducers, performed at times when the transducers were known to be defective. The algorithm made similar detection of horizontal nonuniformities for images acquired at different time points over long periods of time. The results showed good subjective visual agreement with the available electrical measurements of the defective transducers, indicating a potential use of clinical images for early and automatic detection of defective transducers, as a complement to quality control.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Method for automatic detection of defective ultrasound linear array transducers based on uniformity assessment of clinical images — A case study

Lorentsson

Hosseini

Johansson

et al. 2018

J Applied Clin Med Phys

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, a long-term follow-up does not necessarily help in detecting deteriorating image quality either (16), not even when using the most recommended measurements of depth of penetration or distance accuracy (12). The type of the transducer may also have an impact on the results, especially in the measurements with small target, because of the different number of elements utilized in forming a small part of the image by different transducers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hangiandreou et al. (12) have also found image uniformity assessment a useful measurement in routine QA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of other recommended phantom-based QA measurements to detect dead or weak transducer elements or channels in US scanners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phantom-based quality assurance measurements in B-mode ultrasound

Mannila

Sipilä

2013

Acta Radiologica Short Reports

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BackgroundRecommended phantom-based quality assurance measurements in B-mode ultrasound (US) may be tedious. For the purpose of cost-effective US quality assurance it is important to evaluate measurements that effectively reflect the quality of US scanner.PurposeTo find out which recommended phantom-based quality assurance measurements are effective in detecting dead or weak transducer elements or channels in US scanners when visual image analysis and manual measurements are used.Material and MethodsAltogether 66 transducers from 33 US scanners were measured using a general purpose phantom and a transducer tester. The measurements were divided into two groups. Group I consisted of phantom-based uniformity measurement, imaging the air with a clean transducer (air image) and measuring the transducer with the transducer tester, and group II of phantom-based measurements of depth of penetration, beam profile, near field, axial and lateral resolution, and vertical and horizontal distance accuracy. The group II measurements were compared to group I measurements.ResultsWith group I measurements, the results with 20% of the transducers were found defective. With 35% of the transducers the results were considered defective in group II measurements. Concurrent flaws in both groups were found with 11% of the transducers.ConclusionPhantom-based measurements of depth of penetration, beam profile, near field, axial and lateral resolution, and vertical and horizontal distance accuracy did not consistently detect dead or weak transducer elements or channels in US scanners.

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“…evidence-based QA. 2 Hangiandreou et al 3 recently recommended quarterly assessments of mechanical integrity (careful inspection of scanner, transducers and cables) and image uniformity (using subjective acceptance criteria), having found that these tests detected 91.4% of equipment failures (1.6% and 7% being detected by depth of penetration measurement and clinical users, respectively). There is, however, no way to determine how many faults were not detected by any of their methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early experience with automated B-mode quality assurance tests

Dudley

Gibson

2013

Ultrasound

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Although quality assurance programmes have been recommended for many years, there is limited evidence of their efficacy. This study aimed to assess whether an automated image quality analysis method could demonstrate changes in scanner performance in a quality assurance programme. Test object images were analysed, measuring lateral resolution, low contrast penetration, slice thickness, anechoic target visibility and grey-scale target contrast and visibility. Known and suspected scanner faults were investigated and routine results were reviewed. At least one variable changed in response to each known or suspected scanner fault. Resolution and grey-scale target visibility changed due to image shadowing. Slice thickness, lateral resolution and grey-scale target contrast were affected where users reported deterioration in image quality. A single probe fell out of tolerance on routine testing, due to an unrecorded change to the default preset by the supplier's representative. Interpretation of individual results is not always intuitive, observed changes depending on the shape of the grey-scale transfer curve and on target and background echo levels. Our results have provided evidence for the efficacy of this method of performance testing. Further experience is required to evaluate this method for prospective detection of faults and further work is required to determine optimum scanner settings and test object properties to maximise fault detection and to reduce the dependence of results on confounding factors.

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Four-Year Experience with a Clinical Ultrasound Quality Control Program

Cited by 48 publications

References 14 publications

Method for automatic detection of defective ultrasound linear array transducers based on uniformity assessment of clinical images — A case study

Method for automatic detection of defective ultrasound linear array transducers based on uniformity assessment of clinical images — A case study

Phantom-based quality assurance measurements in B-mode ultrasound

Early experience with automated B-mode quality assurance tests

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