ARDMS (American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography) Practice Test

What can be done when investigating a possible kidney stone to better demonstrate shadowing from the stone when using a 3 MHz probe?

1. Position the focal point deeper than the stone.

2. Increase the amount of gain.

3. Increase the frequency to 5 MHz.

4. Decrease the output power of the system.

The correct answer is: Increase the frequency to 5 MHz.

When investigating a possible kidney stone with a 3 MHz probe, increasing the frequency to 5 MHz is the correct answer because higher frequencies are better at demonstrating shadowing from kidney stones. Higher frequencies provide better spatial resolution and sharper images, which can help improve visualization of the stone and any associated shadowing. The other options are not the best choices in this scenario: - Positioning the focal point deeper than the stone (Option A) may not necessarily improve the visualization of shadowing from the stone. - Increasing the amount of gain (Option B) is not directly related to enhancing shadowing from the stone. - Decreasing the output power of the system (Option D) is not a typical method for improving the demonstration of shadowing from kidney stones in ultrasound imaging. Therefore, increasing the frequency to 5 MHz is the most appropriate action to better demonstrate shadowing from a kidney stone when using a 3 MHz probe.