Equipment and transducer manipulation
| Term | Definition |
| Equipment | |
| Transducer | The hand-held device with which one obtains ultrasound images |
| Cord | The connection of the hand-held ultrasound device to the machine or viewing device (if not wireless) |
| Transducer manipulation | |
| Slide | Motion of the transducer across the body surface in any direction |
| Heel–toe | Motion in the long axis of the transducer along a fixed point changing the angle of insonation away from 90° to the skin surface while maintaining contact with the skin surface, often used to achieve an angle of insonation at 90° to the target structure to optimise visualisation and eliminate anisotropy |
| Tilt | Motion in the short axis of the transducer along a fixed point changing the angle of insonation away from 90° to the skin surface while maintaining contact with the skin surface, often used to achieve an angle of insonation at 90° to the target structure to optimise visualisation and eliminate anisotropy |
| Compression | Force is applied by the sonographer or sonologist on the transducer towards the patient’s body. |
| Rotation | Motion along a fixed centre axis point of the transducer in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction |
| Pivot | Motion along a fixed axis point at the end of the transducer in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction |
| Stand off | The transducer does not touch the skin surface but rests on a layer of acoustic coupling gel or other acoustic medium with angle of insonation at 90° to the skin surface. |
| Oblique stand off | The transducer does not touch the skin surfacebut rests on a layer of acoustic coupling gel or other acoustic medium with angle of insonation away from 90° to the skin surface. |
| Sonopalpation | Force is applied on the transducer towards the patient’s body to elicit symptom provocation (eg, pain). |