Patent ID: 6328695
Filing Date: 2001-12-11
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A method for investigating the mechanical properties of bone inside a live animal or human being, comprisinglaunching an ultrasound pulse wave into the body of the being and into the bone,monitoring the ultrasound wave reflected from the body and establishing a trace related to the magnitude of the reflected ultrasound wave versus the time lapsed since the launching of the pulse wave,identifying a pair of points on the time scale delimiting an interval in which the logarithm of the magnitude of the reflected ultrasound wave exhibits a steady decay versus time, and which interval corresponds with a section of bone estimated to predominantly comprise trabecular bone,selecting at least two points on the time scale within the interval defined by the pair of points and reading from the trace corresponding values of reflected wave magnitude,reading the time delay between the selected points,computing the distance between those points in the bone which correspond with the selected points, using the sound velocity estimated in respect of wave propagation through trabecular bone, andcomputing the attenuation of the ultrasound wave based on the readings corresponding with the selected points.