The creation of an image by scanning from different angles is best described as what?

• A. Spatial compounding
• B. Fill-in interpolation
• C. Phase quadrature
• D. Persistence

Answer: (A)

Spatial compounding is when images are acquired from multiple angles and then combined to form a single image. Each angle reveals the anatomy with a different speckle pattern, so when the views are averaged or merged, the speckle noise smooths out while true tissue boundaries become clearer. This process improves overall image quality and can reduce artifacts that one angle alone might produce.

Fill-in interpolation isn’t about acquiring data from different directions; it’s about estimating missing data points. Phase quadrature relates to Doppler signal processing and velocity measurement, not combining angles for image formation. Persistence refers to temporal averaging over time, not spatially combining different angles.