What does the term hyperechoic indicate about tissue brightness?

• A. Darker than surrounding tissue
• B. Brighter than surrounding tissue
• C. Same brightness as surrounding tissue
• D. No echoes

Answer: (B)

Echogenicity determines how bright something appears on an ultrasound image. Hyperechoic means the tissue reflects more ultrasound waves than the surrounding tissue, so it appears brighter on the image. This increased reflectivity comes from dense or highly reflective interfaces, such as mineralized or fibrous tissue, or surfaces like bone, where more of the sound is bounced back to the transducer. In contrast, hypoechoic areas are darker because they reflect less sound, isoechoic areas have about the same brightness as surrounding tissue, and anechoic regions produce very few echoes and look very dark. So, the term hyperechoic specifically indicates brighter-than-surrounding tissue.