Identify one of the advantages of coded excitation.

• A. Increasing transmit power results in deeper imaging but worsens resolution
• B. Coded excitation increases the signal-to-noise ratio through pulse compression, enabling deeper imaging without lowering frame rate
• C. Penetration depth is improved
• D. Coded excitation increases pulse repetition frequency

Answer: (C)

Coded excitation improves how deep you can see by boosting the strength of the received signals from deeper tissues after decoding. By sending a longer, coded pulse and then using pulse compression on the return, more energy reaches deeper structures without increasing the peak acoustic output. This raises the signal-to-noise ratio and makes echoes from deeper regions detectable above the noise floor, so penetration depth—the ability to visualize deeper anatomy—is improved. In practice, this means you can image deeper without sacrificing image quality, which is the key advantage of coded excitation.