Which term describes the adjustment used to compensate for depth-related attenuation by increasing signal with depth?

• A. Frame rate
• B. Time gain compensation
• C. Pulse repetition frequency
• D. Preprocessing

Answer: (B)

Depth-related attenuation happens because ultrasound waves lose energy as they travel deeper, so echoes from deeper tissues are weaker. Time Gain Compensation is the adjustment that compensates for this by increasing the signal with depth (a depth/time-based gain curve). This keeps echoes from deeper structures brighter and more detectable, improving image uniformity across depths. The other terms don’t specifically address depth-based amplification: frame rate affects how many frames per second you see, pulse repetition frequency controls how often pulses are sent and influences maximum usable depth before aliasing, and preprocessing refers to initial signal processing steps rather than depth-dependent gain.