Acoustic Properties of Bovine Cancellous Bone in the Frequency Range of 0.5-2 MHz

Most previous studies using ultrasound for osteoporosis diagnosis have employed ultrasound in a frequency range of 0.2-1 MHz. In this study, acoustic properties of the 12 defatted bovine cancellous bone specimens were investigated in vitro. Speed of sound (SOS) and broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA) were measured using three matched pairs of transducers with the center frequencies of 1, 2.25, and 3.5 MHz, respectively, in order to cover a broad frequency range of 0.5-2 MHz. The relative orientation between ultrasonic beam and bone specimens was the mediolateral (ML) direction of the bovine tibia. SOS showed significant linear positive correlations with apparent density for all three pairs of transducers of 1 MHz, 2.25 MHz, and 3.5 MHz, respectively. BUA showed relatively weak correlations with apparent density for the pairs of transducers of 1 MHz and 2.25 MHz. Furthermore, in the measurement with the pair of 3.5 MHz transducers, BUA was independent of apparent density. SOS and BUA were only weakly correlated with each other. The linear combination of SOS and BUA showed significant correlations with apparent density. These results suggest that the frequency range up to 1.5 MHz may be also useful in the osteoporosis diagnosis.