A-modes are accurate in determining the _______.

A-modes are accurate in determining the _______.

• A. Depth of reflectors
• B. Echo amplitude
• C. Time of flight
• D. Lateral resolution

Answer: (A)

A-mode is all about depth along the probe’s axis. The display shows echoes as spikes at specific times, and those spike positions correspond to how long the ultrasound pulse took to travel to a reflector and back. With a known speed of sound in tissue, that travel time converts directly to depth, so A-mode gives very precise depth measurements for reflectors. The height of the spikes reflects echo strength, not depth, and A-mode doesn’t provide the side-to-side, or lateral, detail that imaging modes do. Time of flight is the mechanism we use to compute depth, but the standout use of A-mode is its accurate depth determination.

A-mode is all about depth along the probe’s axis. The display shows echoes as spikes at specific times, and those spike positions correspond to how long the ultrasound pulse took to travel to a reflector and back. With a known speed of sound in tissue, that travel time converts directly to depth, so A-mode gives very precise depth measurements for reflectors. The height of the spikes reflects echo strength, not depth, and A-mode doesn’t provide the side-to-side, or lateral, detail that imaging modes do. Time of flight is the mechanism we use to compute depth, but the standout use of A-mode is its accurate depth determination.