Ultrasonic Measurement of Bone and Bone Marrow Thicknesses in Femur Covered with Flesh by Inserting a Hip Prosthesis Stem

Abstract

The thicknesses of the bone and the bone marrow region within a pig femur covered with flesh are investigated nondestructively by inserting a hip prosthesis stem via an ultrasonic pulse echo method. An ultrasonic wave is emitted toward the hip prosthesis stem via a normal probe attached to the flesh, and the distances from the normal probe to the boundary surfaces of the bone and the metal stem are measured by observing the time intervals between each echo. Subsequently, the exact thicknesses of flesh, bone and bone marrow region are measured using vernier calipers. The results of the ultrasonic wave and vernier caliper measurements are graphically presented and compared. The ultrasonic method is found to be applicable for the proposed purpose.