Ultrasound shear wave imaging for bone

Recently, a computer-controlled scanning ultrasound (US) imaging system was developed in our laboratory. It includes a pair of broadband 48-MHz focusing copolymer transducers, The apertures of the transducers and their f-numbers were identically equal to 2 mm and 2.25, respectively. ii specimen can be moved in a 10-mu m increment in its plane and its normal direction can be rotated along the US propagation direction. It can be used to produce transmission-mode images of shear waves, as well as longitudinal waves for solid specimens. Shear waves in solids were generated by mode conversion, The results of the longitudinal and shear-wave US images for a piece of compact bovine bone obtained using this system are presented. Shear-wave images combined with longitudinal images can provide a more complete mechanical characterization of bone. (C) 2000 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.