Table 1 Relevant Equipment Settings for the 'Breast Detail' preset

Power

0dB, Mechanical index = 1.6: As Low As Reasonably Achievable to minimize bio-effects.

Time Gain Compensation (TGC)

Adjusted to compensate the effect of attenuation in the subcutaneous tissue at greater depths in order to produce images of uniform brightness.

Dynamic Range

66 dB permits best differentiation between subtle changes in echo intensities of the skin region.

Persistence

2 used to provide optimum smoothening of images with minimum movement induced artifacts.

Post-processing

Options range from low (0) to high (3) contrast. It was at 2 to obtain optimal level of contrast.

Overall Gain

Set at 2dB to demonstrate tissues with appropriate brightness.

Edge

+2 to emphasize the boundaries between tissues.

Delta

Δ2 for high contrast resolution.

Spatial Compounding

A form of frame averaging. SC1 selected to maximize frame rate.

Frame Rate

Decreases with increasing the scan depth, the number of focal zones and image line density (resolution). Varies during the scan but it should not be below 10 Hz (fps).

Focal Zone

Single focal zone placed at the level of the skin to optimize lateral resolution.