SPI Exam Questions and Answers | Exam-Dumps (Page: 3)

QUESTION: 17

What is the primary purpose of backing material in transducers?

Improving axial resolution
Increasing the number of cycles in a pulse
Preventing electrical shock to the operator or patient
Improving acoustic impedance matching

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

The backing material, also known as damping material, in an ultrasound transducer serves to dampen the vibrations of the piezoelectric crystal.

This damping reduces the number of cycles in each pulse, leading to a shorter spatial pulse length (SPL).

Shorter SPL improves axial resolution by allowing the system to better distinguish between two closely spaced structures along the axis of the ultrasound beam.

Improved axial resolution is crucial for producing clearer, more detailed images.

Reference:

ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation guidelines on transducer design and the role of backing material in image quality.

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QUESTION: 18

During a color Doppler scan, which angle to flow would most likely result in no color being visualized?

3 degrees
45 degrees
88 degrees
175 degrees

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Color Doppler imaging is most effective when the angle between the ultrasound beam and the flow of blood is small.

At an angle of 88 degrees, the flow of blood is nearly perpendicular to the ultrasound beam.

When the angle is close to 90 degrees, the Doppler shift (frequency change) approaches zero, resulting in little to no color being visualized on the Doppler image.

Thus, to obtain a color signal, the angle should be optimized to be as close to 0 degrees as possible, with 60 degrees being the practical limit for accurate Doppler measurements.

Reference:

ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation guidelines on Doppler angle and its effect on Doppler imaging.

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QUESTION: 19

In this image obtained from a tissue-mimicking phantom, which area of the sector is used to evaluate the dead zone?

Option A
Option B
Option C
Option D

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

The dead zone in ultrasound imaging refers to the region closest to the transducer where imaging is not possible due to the high amplitude of the initial pulse. In a tissue-mimicking phantom, this is the area where no useful imaging data can be obtained. The purpose of evaluating the dead zone is to ensure that it is as small as possible to maximize the usable imaging depth. In the provided image, Option A represents the area closest to the transducer face, which is typically used to evaluate the dead zone. The other areas are further away and are used for evaluating other parameters such as resolution or depth penetration.

Reference:

American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) Sonography Principles and Instrumentation guidelines.

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QUESTION: 20

Which resolution is degraded when utilizing multiple transmit focal zones?

Temporal
Lateral
Axial
Elevational

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

When utilizing multiple transmit focal zones, the ultrasound system must perform multiple transmissions at each focal depth. This process requires more time for data acquisition, which in turn decreases the frame rate. A lower frame rate directly impacts temporal resolution, which is the ability to accurately depict moving structures over time. Thus, using multiple focal zones improves lateral resolution but degrades temporal resolution.

Reference:

American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) Sonography Principles and

Instrumentation guidelines.

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QUESTION: 21

Which color Doppler setting can be optimized to eliminate low-frequency Doppler shifts without having any effect on higher Doppler frequency shifts?

Gain
Scale
Wall filter
Persistence

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The wall filter is used in color Doppler and spectral Doppler imaging to eliminate low-frequency Doppler shifts caused by tissue motion or vessel wall movement. Adjusting the wall filter removes these low-frequency signals without affecting higher-frequency Doppler shifts that represent blood flow. Other settings like gain, scale, and persistence do not selectively filter out low-frequency shifts in the same manner.

Reference:

American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) Sonography Principles and Instrumentation guidelines.

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QUESTION: 22

Which change improves temporal resolution during color flow imaging?

Increase field of view
Decrease transmit frequency
Decrease packet size
Increase line density

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Temporal resolution is improved by increasing the frame rate. One way to increase the frame rate is by decreasing the packet size (also known as ensemble length) in color Doppler imaging. The packet size refers to the number of pulses used to determine the Doppler shift at each location. A smaller packet size means fewer pulses are required, which allows for quicker data acquisition and thus a higher frame rate. Increasing the field of view, decreasing transmit frequency, and increasing line density would all decrease the frame rate and thus degrade temporal resolution.

Reference:

American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) Sonography Principles and Instrumentation guidelines.

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QUESTION: 23

What does this image demonstrate?

Presence of flow
Direction of flow
Color aliasing
Color inversion

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Color aliasing in Doppler ultrasound occurs when the velocity of blood flow exceeds the Nyquist limit, causing the color display to wrap around and display high velocities incorrectly as the opposite direction. This phenomenon is characterized by a mix of colors that indicate flow in both directions at the same location. In the provided image, there is a clear presence of color aliasing, as evidenced by the abrupt color change across the vessel, which is not consistent with normal flow patterns.

Reference:

American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) Sonography Principles and Instrumentation guidelines.

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QUESTION: 24

Which artifact is seen as a result of an increase in echo amplitude in the tissue located distal to an anechoic structure?

Mirror image
Reverberation
Comet tail
Enhancement

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

Enhancement artifact occurs when an anechoic (or low-attenuation) structure, such as a cyst or fluid- filled structure, allows the ultrasound beam to pass through it with minimal attenuation. As a result, the tissues located distal to this anechoic structure appear brighter (increased echo amplitude) on the ultrasound image because the sound waves are less attenuated by the anechoic structure, leading to higher intensity echoes returning from the distal tissue. This increased brightness beyond the anechoic area is known as enhancement.

Reference:

ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation guidelines

Kremkau, F. W. (2015). Diagnostic Ultrasound: Principles and Instruments. Elsevier.

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ARDMS SPI Exam (page: 3) ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation Updated on: 12-Feb-2026

QUESTION: 17

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QUESTION: 18

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QUESTION: 20

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QUESTION: 21

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QUESTION: 22

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QUESTION: 23

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QUESTION: 24

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ARDMS SPI Exam (page: 3)
ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation
Updated on: 12-Feb-2026