Which ultrasound finding describes a reverberation artifact?

• A. Reverberation Artifact
• B. Shadowing
• C. Ring-Down Artifact
• D. Edge Artifact

Answer: (A)

Reverberation artifact shows up when the ultrasound waves bounce back and forth between two strong reflectors. Each bounce generates an echo, so you see multiple echoes at regular, increasing depths that form a ladder- or comet-tail like pattern behind the reflector. This is not real tissue, but an artifact from repeated reflections.

If useful to contrast: shadowing is a dark area behind a dense object where sound is blocked; edge artifact appears at the border of curved interfaces as spurious lines or brightness along the edge; ring-down artifact is a specific type of reverberation caused by gas bubbles, producing a series of ring-like echoes. The classic description for reverberation is the evenly spaced, parallel echoes behind a strong reflector.