Abstract
To examine and diagnose osteoporosis, it is essential to obtain morphological architecture of the bone (2000 NIH suggestion, USA), which permits the estimation of fracture risk based on biomechanics. However, conventional method uses some indices such as bone mineral density (BMD) of the spine and its contour distortion level by the DXA method (X-ray picture). As an acoustic method, the broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) of propagating wave, speed of sound in the bone (SOS), and area fraction of bone calculated from the SOS have been used. However, those indices have no mechanical index. The objective is the development of a new visualization technique for morphological architecture of bone (micro-architecture) using ultrasound signals. In first, we established a visualization technique using some spongy-shaped architecture specimens. Then we demonstrated in vivo human heel bone to clarify the validation of this technique. The visualization technique was capable to create 3-dimensional image with the size of 〜5 mm depths from the surface of cortical bone.
