What control would a sonographer use to increase the brightness of the ultrasound image?

In ultrasound imaging, the gain control is used to adjust the overall brightness of the image. When a sonographer increases the gain, it amplifies the returning echoes from the tissues being scanned, resulting in a brighter image. This adjustment does not change the depth or resolution of the image; it simply makes the echoes more prominent, which is crucial for visualizing structures that may be poorly seen due to low signal strength or attenuation.

By adjusting the gain, the sonographer can enhance the visibility of different tissues and provide a clearer view for diagnostic purposes. Proper use of gain is essential, as too low of a gain may result in a dark image where important details are obscured, while too high of a gain can create a washed-out image where subtle differences between tissues are hard to discern.