Comet tail artifact

Changed by Daniel J Bell, 28 Nov 2021

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Comet~~-tail~~ tail artifact

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The comet~~-tail~~ tail artifact is a grey~~-scale~~ scale ultrasound finding seen when small calcific / crystalline / highly reflective objects are interrogated and is believed to be a special form of reverberation artifact.

It is similar to the colour comet~~-tail~~ tail artifact and is seen in similar situations, although is in general less sensitive than the latter.

small renal or ureteric calculi
small common bile duct stones
adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder
pancreatic calcifications of chronic pancreatitis
testicular microlithiasis (sometimes)
thyroid colloid nodules
identification of foreign bodies
- surgical clips
- catheter tips
- debris/glass/metal

Differential diagnosis

Possible considerations include:

ring down artifact

Image 4 Ultrasound (Sagittal and transverse views) ( update )

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Case 3: ~~in a~~ thyroid ~~nodule~~colloid cyst

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~~Comet-tail artifact~~

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