Academic Catalog

DMS 52B: PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES OF DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHY II

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2025
Units: 2
Hours: 2 lecture per week (24 total per quarter)
Prerequisite: DMS 52A.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: CSU
Grade Type: Letter Grade Only
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Identify the various types of transducers and describe the differences.
  • Identify the components of the image display.

Description

The course is a continuation of DMS 52A with detailed emphasis on concepts including pulsed echo instrumentation, image processing, transducers, and hemodynamics, as well as harmonics and contrast agents. In addition, the course details image display and processing which focuses on patient-centered equipment settings. Intended for students in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Describe the physical principles of various transducers and their applications
  2. Explain the principles of pulsed echo instrumentation
  3. Identify the principles of real time imaging
  4. Identify the components of image display image processing
  5. Explain the fundamentals of harmonic imaging and contrast agents
  6. Explain the basics of hemodynamics as defined by Doppler principle

Course Content

  1. Transducers
    1. Various transducer types and their properties
    2. Care and cleaning of transducers
    3. Transducer storage
  2. Principles of pulsed echo instrumentation
    1. Receiver functions
    2. Electrical interaction
    3. Reconstruction of the image
    4. Sender/receiver interfaces
  3. Real time imaging
    1. Imaging depth
    2. Temporal and lateral resolution
    3. Dynamic range
  4. Image processing
    1. Display controls
    2. Analog and digital image data
    3. Magnification
    4. Spatial compounding
    5. Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) and DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine)
  5. Harmonic imaging and contrast agents
    1. Fundamentals of harmonic imaging
    2. Tissue harmonics
    3. Contrast materials and harmonics
  6. Hemodynamics
    1. Principles of flow dynamics
    2. Bernoulli's principle
    3. Ohm's law
    4. Pressure-flow relationships
  7. Doppler ultrasound
    1. Pulsed wave Doppler
    2. Color Doppler
    3. Doppler artifacts

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

DVD/TV video system, internet access, computer, slide system, overhead projector, video conferencing.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Quizzes
Final exam

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture presentations
Classroom discussions
Content reinforcement

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Edelman, Sidney. Understanding Ultrasound Physics. 2018.

Although this text is older than the suggested "5 years or newer" standard, it remains a seminal text in this area of study.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

Read text assignments as per syllabus - estimated as 20 pages per week.

Discipline(s)

Diagnostic Medical Technology