The application of ultrasound to medical diagnosis has seen continuous development and growth over several decades. Early, primitive display modes, such as A-mode and static B-mode, borrowed from metallurgical testing and radar technologies of the time, have given way to high-performance, real-time imaging. Moving ultrasound images of babies in the womb are now familiar to most members of the public through personal experience of antenatal scanning or via television. Modern ultrasound systems do much more than produce images of unborn babies, however. Modern ultrasound systems are able to make detailed measurements of blood movements in blood vessels and tissues, visualize moving structures in 3D, and make measurements related to the stiffness of tissues.

Improvements in technology have been followed by widespread acceptance and use of ultrasound in medical diagnosis. Applications have progressed from simple measurements of anatomical dimensions, such as biparietal diameter, to detailed screening for fetal abnormalities, detection of subtle changes in tissue texture and detailed study of blood flow in arteries. In many areas, ultrasound is now chosen as the first line of investigation, before alternative imaging techniques.

This book describes the physics and technology of diagnostic ultrasound systems in use at the time of writing. The book may be divided into four sections; basic physics and B-mode imaging in Chapters 1 – 6 ; Doppler ultrasound in Chapters 7 – 10 ; quality assurance and safety in Chapters 11 – 12, and recent technology in Chapters 13–15.