title: Review of artifacts associated with transrectal ultrasound: understanding, recognition, and prevention of misinterpretation.
abstract: Artifacts are inadequate representations of the structures being imaged. Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) used for evaluating rectal tumors has its own, unique spectrum of artifacts such as (1) pseudomasses (beam thickness: imaging of rectal folds; mirror image: reflection at an intraluminal fluid level); (2) inadequate size of the lesion (mirror image or grating lobes); (3) simulation of malignant infiltration (beam thickness, attenuation or refraction); (4) incomplete field of view (shadowing; reverberation or mirror-image); (5) confusing echo patterns (side lobe artifacts or mirror image: reflection at the balloon surface). The understanding of the physical properties of ultrasound is the basis for the recognition of these artifacts and prevention of misinterpretation. We present a review of these artifacts and their causes.
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012007:Rectum; D014463:Ultrasonography