Abdominal probe image failure? Besides probe problems, there are other possibilities!

Ultrasound diagnostic instruments, with their advantages of fast imaging speed, non-invasiveness to the human body, excellent image quality, high accuracy and precision, and strong clinical and research applicability, are widely used in clinical diagnosis and differentiation in hospitals and have become one of the indispensable mainstays of clinical imaging examinations. However, as sophisticated and complex medical electronic equipment, they are susceptible to various factors that can lead to malfunctions, making timely fault handling particularly important.

01Fault Phenomenon

During the use of the Philips IU Elite ultrasound machine, it was found that when using the abdominal probe for examination, an abnormally high echo phenomenon appeared on the image examination interface; the high echo was in the form of a certain regular wave pattern. The operating physician stated that no other abnormalities were found after powering on in the morning, and the situation was discovered after the first abdominal examination; no such fault was found when using this ultrasound machine for abdominal examinations the previous day.

02Fault Analysis and Elimination

After arriving on-site, the fault of the Philips IU Elite ultrasound machine was further confirmed. The examination interface was switched to the examination interface of other probes of this ultrasound machine, and the parameters were finely adjusted to check whether similar high echo phenomena existed in other examination interfaces. After repeated experiments and comparisons, it was found that only the abdominal probe showed abnormalities. The high echo phenomenon persisted even after restarting the ultrasound machine.

Based on the current fault phenomenon of the IU Elite ultrasound machine, combined with our repair experience and its working principle, this type of fault generally occurs in the probe. In repair cases of color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic instruments from various Brands, the ultrasound probe, due to frequent use in daily examinations and frequent contact with coupling agents, has the highest frequency of failure.

An external examination of the abdominal probe revealed no obvious signs of impact damage, and the gel surface showed no delamination or bubbles. Our outpatient ultrasound room has another IU Elite ultrasound machine that is functioning normally. The abdominal probe exhibiting the abnormal high echo was taken to the outpatient ultrasound room and installed on another IU Elite ultrasound machine. With all examination parameters adjusted to be consistent, the abdominal examination interface of the outpatient ultrasound machine displayed normally, without any abnormal high echo.

This comparison indicates that the fault is not simply concentrated in the abdominal probe, but rather is the result of multiple factors.

Due to the high sensitivity of the ultrasound probe and the wide bandwidth of the entire machine circuit, during use, the ultrasound equipment is easily susceptible to interference from various power sources or electromagnetic fields. There are two possibilities:

(1) The abdominal probe is not faulty; the abdominal signal acquisition system of the ultrasound host has malfunctioned or is experiencing external interference;

(2) The abdominal acquisition system of the ultrasound host is functioning normally; the internal shielding wire of the abdominal probe is broken and the shielding effect is poor, resulting in reception of external environmental interference signals.

The IU Elite from the outpatient ultrasound room was moved to the physical examination center examination room for comparative testing in the same room. The spare, functioning abdominal probe was alternately used on both hosts, and the examination interface displayed normally without any abnormal high echo.

When the abdominal probe exhibiting the high echo was alternately used on both hosts, the IU Elite ultrasound machine in the physical examination center continued to exhibit the high echo phenomenon, while the other ultrasound machine displayed normally.

On the ultrasound machine exhibiting the abnormality, by adjusting the focus, image gain, and other data to change the inspection frequency of the abdominal probe, the abnormal echo on the inspection interface changed accordingly, consistent with the characteristics of external interference.

The comparison led to the conclusion that interference exists in the environment around the IU Elite ultrasound machine in the physical examination center. The abdominal probe has poor internal shielding, resulting in the abnormal high echo interference.

The key interference point should not be the room's ground wire. If the ground wire resistance value does not meet the requirements, all ultrasound probes in this room should exhibit the same interference, and it should not only be present on the abdominal probe with poor shielding.

First, the UPS and voltage regulator connected to the IU Elite ultrasound machine were disconnected one by one, and the machine was powered directly by mains power. The interference did not disappear.

Non-examination electrical equipment in the ultrasound department, including air conditioners, fans, dehumidifiers, and fluorescent lights, were individually powered off for troubleshooting. During troubleshooting, the power cords supplying power to the equipment must be unplugged to ensure that the equipment is completely turned off, as some equipment may have internal components still operating even after the equipment switch is turned off.

After powering off the non-examination electrical equipment in the ultrasound department, there was no sign of the interference disappearing. Considering that the surrounding electrical equipment in the ultrasound department is numerous and disordered, the same method was used to troubleshoot the electrical equipment in the surrounding departments, especially considering that interference in the ultrasound diagnostic instrument had previously been caused by the outer corridor lights. After disconnecting the outer corridor power supply, the interference still persisted.

After repeatedly observing and considering the entire repair process, it was found that the workstation had been overlooked. After unplugging the video transmission signal cable between the workstation and the ultrasound machine, the interference on the inspection interface disappeared. After repeated testing, it was confirmed that the interference signal originated from the computer host and affected the image through the video transmission cable.

It was learned from the equipment management personnel of the physical examination center that the information technology department replaced the workstation computer host connected to the IU Elite ultrasound machine after work the previous day; this is likely the source of the interference.

After replacing the video transmission cable, the ultrasound image still showed interference, ruling out the possibility of a transmission cable fault.

After replacing the image acquisition card on the workstation host with a functioning one, the interference persisted, further ruling out a fault with the image acquisition card.

The UPS and voltage regulator connected to the workstation host were disconnected one by one, and the machine was powered directly by mains power. The interference did not disappear, ruling out interference from external power supply devices.

After disconnecting the computer motherboard power supply, the interference persisted, ruling out the possibility of problems with the motherboard and external devices. The fault range was narrowed down to the computer host power supply. Replacing the power cord was unsuccessful, and finally the problem was identified as the computer host's internal power supply. After replacing the power supply module, the interference disappeared.

The fault was eliminated. The abdominal probe with poor shielding will be sent to the manufacturer for repair. It was found that the internal shielding wire was damaged, which directly led to the weakening of the shielding effect.

03Summary

Through the analysis and handling of the above faults, we have gained a deeper understanding of the IU Elite. In actual work, fault handling of the machine not only requires combining one's own knowledge but also requires skillful communication with manufacturer engineers to judge the faults of the ultrasound and accumulate experience for future maintenance work.

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