Which term refers to the increase in reflection amplitude from structures behind a weakly attenuating structure?

• A. Enhancement
• B. Cine Loop
• C. Frame Rate
• D. Comet Tail

Answer: (A)

Enhancement describes posterior acoustic enhancement, the increase in echo amplitude seen behind a structure that attenuates sound only weakly. When the first medium offers low attenuation, more ultrasonic energy passes through and reaches deeper tissues, so their reflections are stronger and appear brighter on the image. This specific effect is what’s meant by enhancement. The other terms don’t describe this brightness behind a weakly attenuating structure: cine loop is just a loop of previously acquired frames; frame rate is how many frames per second are displayed; comet tail is a different artifact caused by reverberation from closely spaced reflectors.