Which artifact is commonly seen in ultrasound imaging?

Reverberation artifact is a common occurrence in ultrasound imaging that arises due to sound waves bouncing back and forth between two strong reflectors, such as tissues or air. This phenomenon leads to multiple echoes being generated, which can create a series of equally spaced lines on the ultrasound image, mimicking structures that may not actually exist. This artifact often appears as a series of horizontal lines and can both mask and distort the true anatomy, making it essential for sonographers to recognize and account for it when interpreting images.

In contrast, other artifacts such as shadowing, aliasing, and enhancement, while also significant, manifest differently. Shadowing typically appears behind a highly reflective structure, where sound waves cannot penetrate, causing a loss of information in that area. Aliasing usually occurs in Doppler ultrasound when the velocities of blood flow exceed the Nyquist limit, resulting in confusion of the true direction and speed of flow. Enhancement involves the increased echogenicity of a structure behind a fluid-filled area but does not typically display as multi-layered echoes like reverberation does. Understanding these distinctions can help in accurately identifying and mitigating the effects of each artifact during sonographic evaluations.