Patent ID: 8192362

Claim:
A method of detecting cellular damage in tissue below the skin of a mammalian subject, comprising: transmitting ultrasound having a frequency of at, about or between, 17 MHz, 16 MHz, 15 MHz, 14 MHz, 13 MHz, 12 MHz, 11 MHz, 10 MHz, 9 MHz, 8 MHz, 7 MHz, 6 MHz, 5 MHz, 4 MHz, 3 MHz into one or more cells located in tissue below a subject's skin; receiving an ultrasound backscatter signal from the one or more cells; processing the received ultrasound backscatter signal to provide frequency spectrum and RF envelope statistics data; and analyzing the frequency spectrum and RF envelope statistics data to detect cellular damage by measuring a change in a frequency spectrum and RF envelope statistics data of the ultrasound backscatter signal as compared to a frequency spectrum and RF envelope statistics data of a control ultrasound backscatter signal measurement and correlating a change with cellular damage.