Correlations between Acoustic Properties and Bone Density in Bovine Cacellous Bone

Abstract

Correlations between acoustic properties and bone density are investigated in bovine cancellous bone. Speed of sound (SOS), broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA), and broadband ultrasonic reflection (BUR) are measured in ten defatted bovine cancellous bone specimens in vitro. SOS shows a significant correlation with apparent density. A comparable correlation is observed between BUA and apparent density. BUR is rather highly correlated with apparent density. The linear combinations of all three ultrasonic parameters in a multiple regression model lead to a significant improvement in predicting apparent density. These results suggest that BUR can be useful as an alternative diagnostic parameter of osteoporosis.