Determination of relationships between the ultrasound velocity and the physical properties of bovine cortical bone femur.
BACKGROUND
Accurate measurements of physical characteristics of bone are essential for diagnosis, assessment of change following treatment, and therefore, indirectly, for evaluation of new forms of therapy. This is particularly true of osteoporosis and aging skeleton, in which fractures occur easily.


METHODS
In this study an ultrasonic system was set-up and calibrated on Plexiglas tubes of variable thickness then used to detect the cortical bone thickness change in calf and bovine adult femurs. Lamb waves have been generated and detected using a pair of Piezoelectric point transducers (transmitter and receiver) operating at 60 kHz in contact with the surface of the bone.


RESULTS
A link has been established between the ultrasound velocity and the bone thickness. On the other hand, the density variation has been also investigated by the simulation of the bone decalcification chemically. The results show that the velocity is very sensitive to both thickness and density, its value reduces as the cortical bone thickness and density decrease.


CONCLUSIONS
This technique might be considered in the attendance of certain bone diseases expressing itself by gradual change in physical properties.
Laboratory of Instrumentation, Faculty of Electronics and Computer Science, Houari Boumediene University of Science and Technology, Algiers, Algeria. yremram@gmail.com
Youcef
Y
Remram
Mokhtar
M
Attari
Noureddine
N
Ababou
D000818:Animals; D001703:Biophysics / Q000295:instrumentation; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D002417:Cattle; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D014159:Transducers; D014463:Ultrasonography
D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate