This study aimed to evaluate the performance of real-time B-mode ultrasound (U/S) scanners in Khartoum and identify the major problems affecting such equipment, which constitute a valuable diagnostic tool. An evaluation of image quality was carried out for 22 U/S scanners in some government, private hospitals, and clinics in Sudan/Khartoum using 403 GS RMI U/S phantom. In addition, to obtain additional information which may support our findings, a survey was conducted in each hospital/clinic. Because there is no international standard for U/S QC tests, two references were used to assess the U/S machines, issued by the Royal College of Radiologists and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. QC tests revealed different performance levels of U/S scanners, and some of them suffer from major defects, yet they are still being used in routine patient investigations. The performed QC tests and the percentage of scanners showed the recommended performance is at a maximum penetration depth of (63%), vertical distance accuracy (91%), horizontal distance accuracy (41%), axial resolution (100%), lateral resolution (45%), image uniformity (100%), dead zone (91%), grayscale (83%), cyst imaging (100%), and image recorder (100%). The findings of this study’s QC tests may be considered a baseline for most of the tested U/S equipment. The radiologists were informed about the necessity and importance of performing quality-control tests and introduced to the QC tools.

1.
W.
Jakubowsk
,
Ultrasound examinations standards of the Polish Ultrasound Society. 4th ed.
(
Warszawa
:
Roztoczańska Szkoła Ultrasonografii
,
2011
).
2.
E.
Fabiszewska
,
K.
Pasicz
,
I.
Grabska
,
W.
Skrzyński
,
W.
Ślusarczyk-Kacprzyk
,
W.
Bulski
,
Polish J. Radiol.
82
,
773
782
(
2017
). .
3.
J.
Staryszak
,
J.
Stopa
,
I.
Kucharska-Miąsiket
et al,
Pol. J. Radiol.
80
,
1
9
(
2015
).
4.
M.
Wawrzyk
,
J.
Sokal
,
E.
Andrzejewska
et al,
Pol. J. Radiol.
80
,
473
78
(
2015
).
5.
L.
Paluch
,
E.
Nawrocka-Laskus
,
J.
Wieczorek
et al,
Pol. J. Radiol.
81
,
240
46
(
2016
).
6.
P.
Bombiński
,
S.
Warchoł
,
M.
Brzewski
et al,
Pol. J. Radiol.
81
,
469
72
(
2016
).
7.
E.
Fabiszewska
,
K.
Pasicz
,
I.
Grabska
et al,
Pol. J. Radiol.
82
,
773
782
(
2016
).
8.
T. L.
Szabo
,
Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging: Inside out
(
Elsevier Inc
,
New York city
,
2014
).
9.
B. A.
Porter
,
H. H.
Sillesen
,
A. D.
Wong
et al,
Ultrasound CT MRI
22
,
50
64
, (
2001
).
10.
M. A.
Averkiou
,
D. R.
Roundhill
, and
J. E.
Powers
,
IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium Proc
2
,
1561
1566
(
1997
).
11.
R. G.
Barr
,
R. L.
Maldonado
, and
D.
Georgian-Smith
,
Ultrasound
25
,
129
134
, (
2009
).
12.
G. W.
McGlaughlin
,
Ultrasound
15
,
99
104
, (
2007
).
13.
H.
Grazhdani
,
E.
David
,
O. V.
Spagnolo
et al,
J. Ultrasound
21
,
173
182
(
2018
).
14.
Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM)
, Quality assurance of ultrasound imaging systems, report no. 102.
New York
, (
2009
).
15.
American College of Radiology (ACR)
,
ACR technical standard for diagnostic medical physics performance monitoring of real time ultrasound equipment Res.
3
, (
2011
). https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/Practice-Parameters/US-Equip.pdf
16.
M. D.
Laurel
,
American institute of ultrasound in medicine (AIUM)
.
Routine quality assurance for diagnostic ultrasound equipment
. Report,
USA
(
2008
).
17.
N. J.
Dudley
,
K.
Griffith
,
G.
Houldsworth
et al,
Eur J Ultrasound.
12
,
233
245
(
2001
). .
18.
AIUM Technical Standard Committee
.
Methods for measuring performance of pulse-echo ultrasound imaging equipment
. Part II: Digital Methods, Stage1,
AIUM
(
1995
).
19.
AIUM
,
Technical Standards Committee.
Quality control manual for grayscale ultrasound scanners – stage 2
, (
1995
).
20.
AIUM
,
Routine quality assurance for diagnostic ultrasound equipment
, (
2020
).
21.
A.
Goodsitt
,
P. L.
Carson
,
S.
Witt
et al,
Med. Phys.
25
,
1385
1406
(
1998
).
22.
ACR
,
Ultrasound accreditation program requirements
, at http://www.acr.org/quality-safety/accreditation/ultrasound.
23.
P.
Dubbins
,
Royal College of Radiologists, Standards for Ultrasound Equipments
,
Board of the Faculty of Clinical Radiology-Royal College of Radiologists
, RCR Ref NO BFCR (05)1, (
2005
).
24.
C.
Kollmann
,
C.
deKorte
,
N. J.
Dudley
et al,
Eur. J. Ultrasound
33
,
544
549
(
2012
).
25.
Precession Multi-Purpose Grey Scale Test Instrument.
A user Manual
,
GAMMEX RMI
, (
2003
). https://cspmedical.com/content/102-1213_multi-purpose_phantom_user_manual.pdf
26.
T. L.
Szabo
and
P. A.
Lewin
,
J. Ultrasound in Med.
32
,
573
582
(
2013
).
27.
M.
Ploquin
,
A.
Basarab
, and
D.
Kouamé
,
J. Med. Imaging (Bellingham)
2
,
017001
(
2015
). .
28.
G.
Soldati
,
A.
Smargiass
,
L.
Demi
et al,
Appl. Sci.
10
,
1570
, (
2020
). .
29.
Guidelines for Professional Ultrasound Practice
,
The British Medical Ultrasound Society
, (
2017
). https://www.bmus.org/static/uploads/resources/2021_SoR_and_BMUS_guidelines_v1.0_.pdf
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.