If you are a sonographer, whether you recognize it or not, you are in the detective business. As much as any of the colorful characters featured on CSI, Bones, or (for you folks a few years older) Columbo, you have to make sense of what is oftentimes opaque or confusing data. It is your ability to deductively reason that often makes the difference between a correct diagnosis and misinterpretation.
A misconception held by many new and developing ultrasound professional is that math equates to memorization of values and equations. This is generally followed with statements such as “Why do I need to know equations when the system does all the calculations for me?” Although the statement regarding the system is true, this thought process does not take into consideration some very important aspects of imaging.
