International Electrotechnical Commission

Ultrasonics – Pulse-echo scanners – Simple methods for periodic testing to verify stability of an imaging system’s elementary performance - Edition 1.0
 N TS 62736

Annotation

This document specifies requirements and methods for periodic testing of the quality of diagnostic medical ultrasound systems with linear array, curved linear array, single element, annular array, phased array, matrix linear array transducers and two-dimensional arrays. Image interpretation and measurement workstations are included. Usually, “periodic testing” is referred to here as “quality control”. This document represents a minimum set of such tests intended for frequent users of medical ultrasound systems, for quality control professionals in their organization, or those hired from other quality-control and/or service-provider organizations. System-manufacturing and repair companies might well employ other or additional tests. The tests are defined in three levels, with the simplest and most costeffective performed most frequently, similarly to [1]. More complete tests for acceptance testing and for assessment at times of particular importance or concern are specified in IEC 61391-1, IEC 61391-2 and IEC TS 62791 [15]. These more complete tests are categorized as performance evaluation, rather than quality control or frequent periodic testing.

This document also defines terms and specifies methods for measuring (for quality maintenance or quality control) the maximum relative depth of penetration of real-time ultrasound B-MODE scanners, though this penetration measure is listed as less frequently applied.

Frequent distance-measurement accuracy tests are recommended only for certain classes of position encoding that are not now known to be highly stable and without bias.

The types of transducers used with these scanners include: