Question

Echogenicity is a relative term. This is why sonographers use the terminology hyperechoic, hypoechoic, anechoic, isoechoic, homogeneous, andheteogeneous to sonographically describe the appearance of anatomy and pathology. Describe these terms and give an example of each.

Answer 1

The ultrasound is made up of descriptive words to try to form a picture in reader's mind, waves of ultrasound are formed in transducer , the radiologist applies transducer to the body and it reflects back the sound waves with different frequencies in the same transducer.

At different body parts from fat to kidney there are different echoes pass through the interface and some reflected ultrasound forms an image on the screen and radiologist interprets the kind of disease or abnormalities.

ECHOGENECITY : each tissue type such as liver ,spleen or kidney has different echogenicity in its normal state , but in diseased state or any abnormalities the echogenicity is altered either more or less than usual , this help radiologist to categorise the disease.

There are different terms for different sound waves ,they are

1. Hyperechoic - more echogenic (brighter ) than normal

Eg:.  

# A hyperechoic liver lesion on ultrasound can be both benign and malignant.

# A benign hepatic hemangioma is hyperechoic liver lesion.

# Colorectal carcinoma is 50% hyperechoic .

# Bones, tendons are also hyperechoic.

HYPOECHOIC - less echogenic (darker )than normal.

If there is an area which doesn't reflect back the sound waves , there will be no reflected sound for the probe to receive, and the area is called HYPOECHOIC.

Eg: Urine in bladder , Fluid in simple cyst and amniotic fluid in uterus are HYPOECHOIC that sound waves doesn't reflect back .

ANECHOIC - without echoes or appearing without echoes .

The term used when body part appears black on ultrasound and they do not produce echoes , an ANECHOIC area in the ultrasound denoted by red arrows.

Eg: urine in bladder in this the sound waves bounce off and reflect back and echo which have no sounds.

ISOECHOIC - The same echogenicity as neighbouring organs or tissues .

Eg; if left breast is metastatic and right is also metastatic then it is called isoechoic , it can be hypoechoic, hyperechoic, and ANECHOIC to the rest of the parenchyma.

HOMOGENOUS -. Refers to an even echo or pattern that are relative and uniform in composition.

HETEROGENEOUS- . Refers to an uneuneven echo pattern or reflection of varying echodensities.

Eg: it might make difficult to differentiate benign and malignant nodules, for eg; thyroid gland has been associated with diffuse thyroid disease that's make the finding difficult.