title: Characterization of controlled bone defects using 2D and 3D ultrasound imaging techniques.
abstract: Ultrasound is emerging as an attractive alternative modality to standard x-ray and CT methods for bone assessment applications. As of today, however, there is a lack of systematic studies that investigate the performance of diagnostic ultrasound techniques in bone imaging applications. This study aims at understanding the performance limitations of new ultrasound techniques for imaging bones in controlled experiments in vitro. Experiments are performed on samples of mammalian and non-mammalian bones with controlled defects with size ranging from 400 microm to 5 mm. Ultrasound findings are statistically compared with those obtained from the same samples using standard x-ray imaging modalities and optical microscopy. The results of this study demonstrate that it is feasible to use diagnostic ultrasound imaging techniques to assess sub-millimeter bone defects in real time and with high accuracy and precision. These results also demonstrate that ultrasound imaging techniques perform comparably better than x-ray imaging and optical imaging methods, in the assessment of a wide range of controlled defects both in mammalian and non-mammalian bones. In the future, ultrasound imaging techniques might provide a cost-effective, real-time, safe and portable diagnostic tool for bone imaging applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dwight Look College of Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Biren J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Parmar
authors.forename: Whitney
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Longsine
authors.forename: Eric P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Sabonghy
authors.forename: Arum
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ennio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tasciotti
authors.forename: Bradley K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Righetti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D002645:Chickens; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007834:Lasers; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D011817:Rabbits; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*; D014965:X-Rays