Comet-tail artifact
The comet-tail artifact is a grey-scale ultrasound finding seen when small calcific / crystalline / highly reflective objects are interrogated and is believed to be a special form of reverberation artifact.
It is similar to the color comet-tail artifact and is seen in similar situations, although is in general less sensitive than the latter.
- small renal or ureteric calculi
- small common bile duct stones
- adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder
- pancreatic calcifications of chronic pancreatitis
- testicular microlithiasis (sometimes)
- thyroid colloid nodules
- identification of foreign bodies
- surgical clips
- catheter tips
- debris / glass / metal
Differential diagnosis
Possible considerations include:
See also
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