Refraction artifact may manifest as which displacement?

Refraction artifact may manifest as which displacement?

• A. Axial displacement of a reflector
• B. Lateral displacement of the displayed position of a reflector
• C. Increased brightness
• D. Shadowing

Answer: (B)

Refraction artifact happens when the ultrasound beam changes direction at a boundary between tissues that have different speeds of sound, usually because the incidence is not perpendicular. When the beam bends, the echo from a reflector is displayed in a position that’s shifted sideways on the image. In other words, the reflector appears in a different lateral location than its true position, creating a lateral displacement. This is distinct from axial displacement, which would involve errors in depth along the beam’s path, and from brightness changes or shadowing, which arise from attenuation or gain effects rather than geometric misplacement.

Refraction artifact happens when the ultrasound beam changes direction at a boundary between tissues that have different speeds of sound, usually because the incidence is not perpendicular. When the beam bends, the echo from a reflector is displayed in a position that’s shifted sideways on the image. In other words, the reflector appears in a different lateral location than its true position, creating a lateral displacement.

This is distinct from axial displacement, which would involve errors in depth along the beam’s path, and from brightness changes or shadowing, which arise from attenuation or gain effects rather than geometric misplacement.