title: Apparatus for ultrasound tissue characterization of excised specimens.
abstract: Apparatus is described for measurement of sound speed and ultrasound attenuation coefficients by the substitution technique in the frequency range 3 to 8 MHz. Phase-cancellation artifacts leading to overestimation of attenuation coefficients are avoided by use of an acoustoelectric transducer. Specimens confined by polystyrene windows can be interrogated by focused ultrasound beams at selected locations spaced on a grid of 3 x 3 mm voxels. Pulse time of flight is measured with an accuracy of 30 ns, yielding sound speeds accurate to +/- 6.7 m/s, for samples 10 mm thick. Uncertainties in measured insertion losses range from 0.1 dB in low-loss (10 dB) specimens to 0.5 dB in high-loss (25 dB) specimens.
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Research Laboratory, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arditi
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Edmonds
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schattner
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Stephens
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vinzant
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D004581:Electronics; D014159:Transducers; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods