Effect of selected signals of interest on ultrasonic backscattering measurement in cancellous bones

This study examined how the signals of interest （SOI） effect on the backscattering measurement numerically based on 3-D finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method. High resolution microstructure mappings of bovine cancellous bones provided by micro-CT were used as the input geometry for simulations. Backscatter coefficient （BSC）, integrated backscatter coefficient （IBC） and apparent integrated backscatter （AIB） were calculated with changing the start （L1） and duration （L2） of the SOl. The results demonstrated that BSC and IBC decrease as L1 increases, and AIB decreases more rapidly as L1 increases. The backscattering parameters increase with fluctuations as a function of L2 when L2 is less than 6 mm. However, BSC and IBC change little as L2 continues to increase, while AIB slowly decreases as L2 continues to increase. The results showed how the selections of the SOI effect on the backscattering measurement. An explicit standard for SOl selection was proposed in this study and short L1 （about 1.5 mm） and appropriate L2 （6 mm-12 mm） were recommended for the calculations of backscattering parameters.

Effect of trabecular bone material properties on ultrasonic backscattering signals

In this study, ultrasonic backscattering signals in cancellous bones were obtained by finite difference time domain （FDTD） simulations, and the effect of trabecular material properties on these signals was analyzed. The backscatter coefficient （BSC） and integrated backscatter coefficient （IBC） were numerically investigated for varying trabecular bone material properties, including density, Lame coefficients, viscosities, and resistance coefficients. The results show that the BSC is a complex function of trabecular bone density, and the IBC increases as density increases. The BSC and IBC increase with the first and second Lame coefficients. While not very sensitive to the second viscosity of the trabeculae, the BSC and IBC decrease as the first viscosity and resistance coefficients increase. The results demonstrate that, in addition to bone mineral density （BMD） and microarchitecture, trabecular material properties significantly influence ultrasonic backseattering signals in cancellous bones. This research furthers the understanding of ultrasonic backscattering in cancellous bones and the characterization of cancellous bone status.

The spectrum entropy estimation method for ultrasonic backscattering signal in cancellous bones

In the application of cancellous bone ultrasound diagnosis based on backscattering method, it is of great importance to estimate fast and accurately whether the valid backscattering signal exists in the received signal. We propose a fast estimation method based on spectrum entropy method. With 984 records of adult calcaneus clinical data, we estimate the validity of the backscatter signal using this method. The results of the proposed method and the results of experience-base judgement were compared and analyzed. And two key parameters, the signal range length and the segment number of the spectrum entropy, were analyzed. The results show when the signal range length is 13 I^s and the segment number is 15 20, this method can get the best result （accuracy〉95%, sensitivity〉99%, specificity〉87%）, while taking little calculation time （1.5 ms）. Therefore, this spectrum entropy method can satisfy the accuracy and real-time requirements in the ultrasonic estimation for cancellous bone.

Classification of flaw by adaptive filtering deconvolution of ultrasonic backscattering echo

A convolution model of flaw scattering echoes and an adaptive filtering deconvolution method are presented. The effect of the method is analyzed by simulating a given system. By deconvolution, the influence of the transducer on echoes is reduced greatly and the flaw features stand out more clearly in the deconvolved echoes than in flaw echoes themselves. flaw echo signals of 18 flaw samples are processed by adaptive filtering deconvolution. As a result, flaws are classified successfully

An Ultrasonic Backscatter Instrument for Cancellous Bone Evaluation in Neonates

Ultrasonic backscatter technique has shown promise as a noninvasive cancellous bone assessment tool. A novel ultrasonic backscatter bone diagnostic （UBBD） instrument and an in vivo application for neonatal bone evaluation are introduced in this study. The UBBD provides several advantages, including noninvasiveness, non- ionizing radiation, portability, and simplicity. In this study, the backscatter signal could be measured within 5 s using the UBBD. Ultrasonic backscatter measurements were performed on 467 neonates （268 males and 199 females） at the left calcaneus. The backscatter signal was measured at a central frequency of 3.5 MHz. The delay （-/-1） and duration （7-2） of the backscatter signal of interest （SOl） were varied, and the apparent integrated backscatter （AIB）, frequency slope of apparent backscatter （FSAB）, zero frequency intercept of apparent backscatter （FIAB）, and spectral centroid shift （SCS） were calculated. The results showed that the SOl selection had a direct influence on cancellous bone evaluation. The AIB and FIAB were positively correlated with the gestational age （｜R｜ up to 0.45, P 〈 0.001） when -/-1 was short （〈 8 μS）, while negative correlations （｜R｜ up to 0.56, P 〈 0.001） were commonly observed for T1 〉 10 IJS. Moderate positive correlations （IRI up to 0.45, P 〈 0.001） were observed for FSAB and SCS with gestational age when 71 was long （〉 10 μs）. The 7-2 mainly introduced fluctuations in the observed correlation coefficients. The moderate correlations observed with UBBD demonstrate the feasibility of using the backscatter signal to evaluate neonatal bone status. This study also proposes an explicit standard for in vivo SOl selection and neonatal cancellous bone assessment.

Ultrasonic integrated backscatter in assessing liver steatosis before and after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND： Liver steatosis affects 20%-30% of adults.Because of the increasing gap between graft supplies and demands, livers with steatosis are frequently used in liver transplantation. But severely steatotic liver grafts are associated with a high risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications. Accurate assessment of fat content of donor livers and monitoring of the extent of steatosis in recipients are required for liver transplantation. The present study aimed to determine the correlation between liver echogenicity and fat content, and to evaluate the use of an ultrasonic integrated backscatter system（IBS） in the assessment of changes in fat content after liver transplantation.METHODS： Seventy-nine consecutive patients receiving liver grafts from living donors were evaluated in our center. Of these recipients, 67 survived for more than two years and were included in this study. Each liver graft was evaluated with IBS and ultrasound before operation and the fat content was estimated. The fat content of the grafts in the recipients was again assessed with ultrasound at 18 months after surgery.RESULTS： A correlation was detected between each graft＇s IBS value and its fat content（P=0.001）. The IBS value in fatty grafts with various degrees of steatosis was significantly decreased in 3（P=0.02）, 12, 15 and 18（P=0.001） months after orthotopic liver transplantation. The IBS value returned to normal in all patients in 18 months after liver transplantation.CONCLUSIONS： Decreased fat content in steatotic grafts can be observed in all recipients. Ultrasonic IBS is useful in determining the steatotic degree of grafts in donors as well as in monitoring the grafts after liver transplantation.

Amplitude modulation excitation for cancellous bone evaluation using a portable ultrasonic backscatter instrumentation

The ultrasonic backscatter(UB)has the advantage of non-invasively obtaining bone density and structure,expected to be an assessment tool for early diagnosis osteoporosis.All former UB measurements were based on exciting a short single-pulse and analyzing the ultrasonic signals backscattered in bone.This study aims to examine amplitude modulation(AM)ultrasonic excitation with UB measurements for predicting bone characteristics.The AM multiple lengths excitation and backscatter measurement(AM-UB)functions were integrated into a portable ultrasonic instrument for bone characterization.The apparent integrated backscatter coefficient in the AM excitation(AIB_(AM))was evaluated on the AM-UB instrumentation.The correlation coefficients of the AIB_(AM) estimating volume fraction(BV/TV),structure model index(SMI),and bone mineral density(BMD)were then analyzed.Significant correlations(|R|=0.82-0.93,p<0.05)were observed between the AIB_(AM),BV/TV,SMI,and BMD.By growing the AM excitation length,the AIB_(AM) values exhibit more stability both in 1.0-MHz and 3.5-MHz measurements.The recommendations in AM-UB measurement were that the avoided length(T1)should be lower than AM excitation length,and the analysis length(T2)should be enough long but not more than AM excitation length.The authors conducted an AM-UB measurement for cancellous bone characterization.Increasing the AM excitation length could substantially enhance AIB_(AM) values stability with varying analyzed signals.The study suggests the portable AM-UB instrument with the integration of real-time analytics software that might provide a potential tool for osteoporosis early screening.

The Protocol of Ultrasonic Backscatter Measurements of Musculoskeletal Properties

This study aims to introduce the protocol for ultrasonic backscatter measurements of musculoskeletal properties based on a novel ultrasonic backscatter bone diagnostic(UBBD)instrument.Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA)can be adopted to measure bone mineral density(BMD)in the hip,spine,legs and the whole body.The muscle and fat mass in the legs and the whole body can be also calculated by DXA body composition analysis.Based on the proposed protocol for backscatter measurements by UBBD,ultrasonic backscatter signals can be measured in vivo,deriving three backscatter parameters[apparent integral backscatter(AIB),backscatter signal peak amplitude(BSPA)and the corresponding arrival time(BSPT)].AIB may provide important diagnostic information about bone properties.BSPA and BSPT may be important indicators of muscle and fat properties.The standardized backscatter measurement protocol of the UBBD instrument may have the potential to evaluate musculoskeletal characteristics,providing help for promoting the application of the backscatter technique in the clinical diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs),such as osteoporosis and muscular atrophy.

Ultrasonic spectrum characterization of pig's pathological liver tissues

A high-speed digital acquisition and wide-band measurement system was used to acquiring and recording the ultrasonic pulse waveforms backscattered from normal and several pathological pig's fresh liver tissues (including ballooning degeneration, fatty degeneration, cirrhosis) in vitro. Some frequency-domain analyses were performed in which integrated backscattering coefficient (IBSC), frequency dependence of backscattering coefficient (FDBSC),and mean spacing (MS) among adjacent scatterers of the tissues were determined.In the experiments the frequency domain was from 3MHz to 7 MHz. The obtained results show that the differences among normal and various pathological tissues cause distinct changes of the measured parameters. The results show that the ultrasonic spectum technique, which can be used in tissue characterization for pathological liver in clinical, has an exciting prospect.

Estimating mean trabecular bone spacing based on the combination of Hilbert transform and fundamental frequency estimation

Ultrasonic backscatter signals from cancellous bone are sensitive to the microstructure of trabecular bone,and thus enable the feasibility to extract microstructural information of trabecular bone.The mean trabecular bone spacing(MTBS)is an important parameter for characterizing bone microstructure.This paper proposes an MTBS estimation method based on the combination of Hilbert transform and fundamental frequency estimation(CHF). The CHF was verified with ultrasonic backscatter signals from simulations and in vitro measurements at a central frequency of 5MHz.The CHF method was compared with the simplified inverse filter tracking(SIFT)method,Simons' Quadratic Transformation(QT)method,Singular Spectrum Analysis(SSA)method,and Spectral Autocorrelation(SAC)method.Monte-Carlo simulations were performed by varying the MTBS,signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),standard deviation of regular spacing(SDRS),amplitude ratio of diffuse scattering to regular scattering(Ad)and frequency dependent attenuation(nBUA).The simulation results showed that the CHF method had a better performance in MTBS estimation under almost all the examination conditions except for SNR.The estimation percentage correct(EPC)was greater than 90% when the MTBS was in the range of 0.4to 1.4mm.In the in vitro measurements,the estimated EPC by the CHF method was91.25±7.81%(mean±standard deviation).A significant correlation was observed for the CHF-estimated MTBS and micro-computed tomography(μ-CT)-measured values(R^2=0.75,p<0.01).These results demonstrate that the CHF method is anti-interference for MTBS estimation and can be used to estimate trabecular bone spacing.