Presentation
Routine inspection.
From the case:
Normal paper clip test of an ultrasound probe
{"current_user":null,"step_through_annotations":true,"access":{"can_edit":false,"can_download":true,"can_toggle_annotations":true,"can_feature":false,"can_examine_pipeline_reports":false,"can_pin":false},"extraPropsURL":"/studies/101317/annotated_viewer_json?iframe=true\u0026lang=us"}
A standard gem type metal paper clip is translated along the surface of the probe after application of a thin layer of US gel. No focal defects in the resultant reverberation artifact can be observed.
Case Discussion
The paper clip test is a sensitive method to look for small piezo element dropouts. Note that due to transducer geometry the standard approach is not suitable for phased array probes, hence a modifed technique utilizing B-mode has been proposed.