Scans and X-rays
What Does Hyperechoic Mean on an Ultrasound?
Hyperechoic · say it: HY-per-eh-KOH-ikAlso written: echogenic, bright on ultrasound
Short answer
Hyperechoic is an ultrasound word for an area that reflects more sound and looks brighter than the tissue around it.
What it means
Ultrasound makes pictures by sending sound waves into the body and listening for the echoes. Areas that send back a lot of echo look bright on the screen.
Hyperechoic means an area looks brighter than the tissue next to it. Things like fat, calcium, stones and some types of tissue often look hyperechoic.
It is a description of how something looks on ultrasound, not a diagnosis. The radiologist uses it together with other features to work out what the area might be.
Where you may see it
- Ultrasound reports of the liver, kidneys, thyroid, breast and other organs
- Pregnancy and pelvic ultrasound reports
📄 How it looks on a report
A 9 mm hyperechoic lesion in the liver, likely a haemangioma.
🙅 What it does not mean
- It does not mean something is good or bad. It only describes brightness on the screen.
- It does not have the same meaning in every organ. Doctors interpret it in context.
- It is not the same as hyperdense, which is a CT word.
🎯 Check yourself
Which of these is the right meaning of “Hyperechoic”?
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
🧾 Reports where you will see “Hyperechoic”
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🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Hyperechoic” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
- RadiologyInfo.org ↗
Radiological Society of North America and American College of Radiology
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General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.