Artifacts, Pitfalls and Normal Variants

Image artifacts are encountered daily in clinical ultrasonography and may be a source of confusion for the interpreting sonologist. The understanding of the mechanisms behind their production allows recognition of artifacts and avoids misinterpretations and incorrect diagnoses. Some artifacts may be avoidable and arise secondary to improper scanning technique. Other artifacts are generated by the physical limitations of the modality. Recognition of artifacts in everyday work is of great significance for final diagnosis, since their erroneous interpretation not only compromises the value of ultrasound finding, but may also lead to an inadequate therapeutic approach. The objective of this article is to describe and illustrate many of the ultrasound artifacts commonly encountered in obstetrical and gynecological ultrasound including Doppler and 3D imaging artifacts.