Ultrasonic characterization of human cancellous bone using the Biot theory: inverse problem

This paper concerns the ultrasonic characterization of human cancellous bone samples by solving the inverse problem using experimental transmitted signals. The ultrasonic propagation in cancellous bone is modeled using the Biot theory modified by the Johnson et al. model for viscous exchange between fluid and structure. The sensitivity of the Young modulus and the Poisson ratio of the skeletal frame is studied showing their effect on the fast and slow wave forms. The inverse problem is solved numerically by the least squares method. Five parameters are inverted: the porosity, tortuosity, viscous characteristic length, Young modulus, and Poisson ratio of the skeletal frame. The minimization of the discrepancy between experiment and theory is made in the time domain. The inverse problem is shown to be well posed, and its solution to be unique. Experimental results for slow and fast waves transmitted through human cancellous bone samples are given and compared with theoretical predictions.     

Estimation of critical and viscous frequencies for Biot theory in cancellous bone

The use of Biot theory for modelling ultrasonic wave propagation in porous media involves the definition of a "critical frequency" above which both fast and slow compressional waves will, in principle, propagate. Critical frequencies have been evaluated for healthy and osteoporotic cancellous bone filled with water or marrow, using data from the literature. The range of pore sizes in bone gives rise to a critical frequency band rather than a single critical frequency, the mean of which is lower for osteoporotic bone than normal bone. However, the critical frequency is a theoretical concept and previous researchers considered a more realistic "viscous frequency" above which both fast and slow waves may be experimentally observed. Viscous frequencies in bone are found to be several orders of magnitude greater than calculated critical frequencies. Whereas two waves may well be observed at all ultrasonic frequencies for water-filled cancellous bone at 20 degrees C, it is probable megahertz frequencies would be needed for observation of two waves in vivo.     

Investigation of an anisotropic tortuosity in a biot model of ultrasonic propagation in cancellous bone

The modeling of ultrasonic propagation in cancellous bone is relevant to the study of clinical bone assessment. Historical experiments revealed the importance of both the viscous effects of bone marrow and the anisotropy of the porous microstructure. Of those propagation models previously applied to cancellous bone, Biot's theory incorporates viscosity, but has only been applied in isotropic form, while Schoenberg's anisotropic model does not include viscosity. In this paper we present an approach that incorporates the merits of both models, by utilizing the tortuosity, a key parameter describing pore architecture. An angle-dependent tortuosity for a layered structure is used in Biot's theory to generate the "Stratified Biot Model" for cancellous bone, which is compared with published bone data. While the Stratified Biot model was inferior to Schoenberg's model for slow wave velocity prediction, the proposed model improved agreement fast wave velocity at high propagation angles, particularly when sorted for porosity. An attempt was made to improve the fast wave agreement at low angles by introducing an angle-dependent Young's Modulus, which, while improving the agreement of predicted fast wave velocity at low angles, degraded agreement at high angles. In this paper the utility of the tortuosity in characterizing the architecture of cancellous bone is highlighted.     

流体饱和孔隙材料的Biot弹性常数的声学测量

本文研究用声学方法测量流体饱和孔隙介质的Biot4个弹性常数，4个弹性常数主要是通过测量水饱和的孔隙样品中的3种体波速度去计算的（流体压缩系数已知）。为了讨论和验证测量结果，我们还进行了两个实验，一是测量空气饱和样品的切变波速度和纵波速度，并求得框架的体积模量和切变模量；二是测量空气饱和样品中的慢纵波速度，并验证样品曲折度的大小。     

含少量气泡流体饱和孔隙介质中的弹性波

考虑孔隙流体中含有少量气泡,且气泡在声波作用下线性振动,研究声波在这种孔隙介质中的传播特性.本文先由流体质量守恒方程和孔隙度微分与流体压力微分的关系推导出了含有气泡形式的渗流连续性方程;在处理渗流连续性方程中的气体体积分数时间导数时,应用Commander气泡线性振动理论导出气体体积分数时间导数与流体压强时间导数的关系,进而得到了修正的Biot形式的渗流连续性方程;最后结合Biot动力学方程求得了含气泡形式的位移场方程,便可得到两类纵波及一类横波的声学特性.通过对快、慢纵波的频散、衰减及两类波引起的流体位移与固体位移关系的考察,发现少量气泡的存在对快纵波和慢纵波的传播特性影响较大.     

Experimental validation and applications of a modified gap stiffness model for granular marine sediments

The author has proposed a modified gap stiffness model, which is incorporated into the Biot model; the resultant model is called the BIMGS model. By using this model, it is theoretically demonstrated that the frame bulk modulus is dependent on frequency [M. Kimura, "Frame bulk modulus of porous granular marine sediments," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120, 699-710 (2006)]. In this study, the modified gap stiffness model is reinvestigated and approximated expressions are derived for low- and high-frequency ranges. In particular, experimental validation of the BIMGS model is carried out. First, for glass beads and beach sands, the modified gap stiffness at a high frequency is experimentally obtained as a function of the grain size. Second, by using the measured values of the longitudinal wave velocities in the glass beads with two types of alcohol-water-mixed liquids, it is validated that the frame bulk modulus is a linear function of the fluid bulk modulus and that the frame bulk modulus is dependent on frequency, which can be derived from the BIMGS model. Finally, for applying the BIMGS model, it is shown that the reported velocity dispersion and the frequency dependence of attenuation, which cannot be explained by using the Biot-Stoll model with a constant frame bulk modulus, can be explained.     

The role of Biot slow waves in electroseismic wave phenomena

The electromagnetic fields that are generated as a spherical seismic wave (either P or S) traverses an interface separating two porous materials are numerically modeled both with and without the generation of Biot slow waves at the interface. In the case of an incident fast-P wave, the predicted electric-field amplitudes when slow waves are neglected can easily be off by as much as an order of magnitude. In the case of an incident S wave, the error is much smaller (typically on the order of 10% or less) because not much S-wave energy gets converted into slow waves. In neglecting the slow waves, only six plane waves (reflected and transmitted fast-P, S, and EM waves) are available with which to match the eight continuity conditions that hold at each interface. This overdetermined problem is solved by placing weights on the eight continuity conditions so that those conditions that are most important for obtaining the proper response are emphasized. It is demonstrated that when slow waves are neglected, it is best to also neglect the continuity of the Darcy flow and fluid pressure across an interface. The principal conclusion of this work is that to properly model the electromagnetic (EM) fields generated at an interface by an incident seismic wave, the full Biot theory that allows for generation of slow waves must be employed.     

Measurements of ultrasound velocity and attenuation in numerical anisotropic porous media compared to Biot’s and multiple scattering models

This article quantitatively investigates ultrasound propagation in numerical anisotropic porous media with finite-difference simulations in 3D. The propagation media consist of clusters of ellipsoidal scatterers randomly distributed in water, mimicking the anisotropic structure of cancellous bone. Velocities and attenuation coefficients of the ensemble-averaged transmitted wave (also known as the coherent wave) are measured in various configurations. As in real cancellous bone, one or two longitudinal modes emerge, depending on the micro-structure. The results are confronted with two standard theoretical approaches: Biot’s theory, usually invoked in porous media, and the Independent Scattering Approximation (ISA), a classical first-order approach of multiple scattering theory. On the one hand, when only one longitudinal wave is observed, it is found that at porosities higher than 90% the ISA successfully predicts the attenuation coefficient (unlike Biot’s theory), as well as the existence of negative dispersion. On the other hand, the ISA is not well suited to study two-wave propagation, unlike Biot’s model, at least as far as wave speeds are concerned. No free fitting parameters were used for the application of Biot’s theory. Finally we investigate the phase-shift between waves in the fluid and the solid structure, and compare them to Biot’s predictions of in-phase and out-of-phase motions.     

In vitro estimation of fast and slow wave parameters of thin trabecular bone using space-alternating generalized expectation-maximization algorithm

In testing cancellous bone using ultrasound, two types of longitudinal Biot’s waves are observed in the received signal. These are known as fast and slow waves and their appearance depend on the alignment of bone trabeculae in the propagation path and the thickness of the specimen under test (SUT). They can be used as an effective tool for the diagnosis of osteoporosis because wave propagation behavior depends on the bone structure. However, the identification of these waves in the received signal can be difficult to achieve.In this study, ultrasonic wave propagation in a 4 mm thick bovine cancellous bone in the direction parallel to the trabecular alignment is considered. The observed Biot’s fast and slow longitudinal waves are superimposed; which makes it difficult to extract any information from the received signal. These two waves can be separated using the space alternating generalized expectation maximization (SAGE) algorithm. The latter has been used mainly in speech processing.In this new approach, parameters such as, arrival time, center frequency, bandwidth, amplitude, phase and velocity of each wave are estimated. The B-Scan images and its associated A-scans obtained through simulations using Biot’s finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method are validated experimentally using a thin bone sample obtained from the femoral-head of a 30 months old bovine.     

Numerical and experimental study on the wave attenuation in bone--FDTD simulation of ultrasound propagation in cancellous bone

In cancellous bone, longitudinal waves often separate into fast and slow waves depending on the alignment of bone trabeculae in the propagation path. This interesting phenomenon becomes an effective tool for the diagnosis of osteoporosis because wave propagation behavior depends on the bone structure. Since the fast wave mainly propagates in trabeculae, this wave is considered to reflect the structure of trabeculae. For a new diagnosis method using the information of this fast wave, therefore, it is necessary to understand the generation mechanism and propagation behavior precisely. In this study, the generation process of fast wave was examined by numerical simulations using elastic finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and experimental measurements. As simulation models, three-dimensional X-ray computer tomography (CT) data of actual bone samples were used. Simulation and experimental results showed that the attenuation of fast wave was always higher in the early state of propagation, and they gradually decreased as the wave propagated in bone. This phenomenon is supposed to come from the complicated propagating paths of fast waves in cancellous bone.     

Propagation of two longitudinal waves in a cancellous bone with the closed pore boundary

Ultrasound propagation in cancellous bone (porous media) under the condition of closed pore boundaries was investigated. A cancellous bone and two plate-like cortical bones obtained from a racehorse were prepared. A water-immersion ultrasound technique in the MHz range and a three-dimensional elastic finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method were used to investigate the waves. The experiments and simulations showed a clear separation of the incident longitudinal wave into fast and slow waves. The findings advance the evaluation of bones based on the two-wave phenomenon for in vivo assessment.     

Guided wave modes in porous cylinders: Theory

The classical theory of wave propagation in elastic cylinders is extended to poro-elastic mandrel modes. The classical theory predicts the existence of undamped L modes and damped C, I, and Z modes. These waves also appear in poro-elastic mandrels, but all of them become damped because of viscous effects. The presence of the Biot slow bulk wave in the poro-elastic material is responsible for the generation of additional mandrel modes. One of them was already discussed by Feng and Johnson, and the others can be grouped together as so-called D modes. The damping of these D modes is at least as high as the damping of the free-field slow wave.     

Fast wave ultrasonic propagation in trabecular bone: numerical study of the influence of porosity and structural anisotropy

Our goal is to assess the potential of computational methods as an alternative to analytical models to predict the two longitudinal wave modes observed in cancellous bone and predicted by the Biot theory. A three-dimensional (3D) finite-difference time-domain method is coupled with 34 human femoral trabecular microstructures measured using microcomputed tomography. The main trabecular alignment (MTA) and the degree of anisotropy (DA) were assessed for all samples. DA values were comprised between 1.02 and 1.9. The influence of bone volume fraction (BV/TV) between 5% and 25% on the properties of the fast and slow waves was studied using a dedicated image processing algorithm to modify the initial 3D microstructures. A heuristic method was devised to determine when both wave modes are time separated. The simulations (performed in three perpendicular directions) predicted that both waves generally overlap in time for a direction of propagation perpendicular to the MTA. When these directions are parallel, both waves are separated in time for samples with high DA and BV/TV values. A relationship was found between the least bone volume fraction required for the observation of nonoverlapping waves and the degree of anisotropy: The higher the DA, the lower the least BV/TV.     

Fast compressional wave attenuation and dispersion due to conversion scattering into slow shear waves in randomly heterogeneous porous media

Within the viscosity-extended Biot framework of wave propagation in porous media, the existence of a slow shear wave mode with non-vanishing velocity is predicted. It is a highly diffusive shear mode wherein the two constituent phases essentially undergo out-of-phase shear motions (slow shear wave). In order to elucidate the interaction of this wave mode with propagating wave fields in an inhomogeneous medium the process of conversion scattering from fast compressional waves into slow shear waves is analyzed using the method of statistical smoothing in randomly heterogeneous poroelastic media. The result is a complex wave number of a coherent plane compressional wave propagating in a dynamic-equivalent homogeneous medium. Analysis of the results shows that the conversion scattering process draws energy from the propagating wave and therefore leads to attenuation and phase velocity dispersion. Attenuation and dispersion characteristics are typical for a relaxation process, in this case shear stress relaxation. The mechanism of conversion scattering into the slow shear wave is associated with the development of viscous boundary layers in the transition from the viscosity-dominated to inertial regime in a macroscopically homogeneous poroelastic solid.     

Ultrasonic pulse waves in cancellous bone analyzed by finite-difference time-domain methods

The trabecular frame of cancellous bone has a high degree of porosity, anisotropy and inhomogeneity. The propagation of ultrasonic waves in cancellous bone is significantly affected by the trabecular structure. In this paper, two two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods, which were the popular viscoelastic FDTD method for a viscoelastic medium and Biot's FDTD method for a fluid-saturated porous medium, have been applied to numerically analyze the ultrasonic pulse waves propagating through bovine cancellous bone in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the trabecular alignment. The Biot's fast and slow longitudinal waves, which were identified in previous experiments for the propagation parallel to the trabecular orientation, could be analyzed using Biot's FDTD method rather than the viscoelastic FDTD method. For the single wave propagation in the perpendicular direction, on the other hand, the viscoelastic FDTD result was found to be in more good agreement with the experimental result.     

Cancellous bone analysis with modified least squares Prony's method and chirp filter: phantom experiments and simulation

The presence of two longitudinal waves in porous media is predicted by Biot's theory and has been confirmed experimentally in cancellous bone. When cancellous bone samples are interrogated in through-transmission, these two waves can overlap in time. Previously, the Modified Least-Squares Prony's (MLSP) method was validated for estimation of amplitudes, attenuation coefficients, and phase velocities of fast and slow waves, but tended to overestimate phase velocities by up to about 5%. In the present paper, a pre-processing chirp filter to mitigate the phase velocity bias is derived. The MLSP/chirp filter (MLSPCF) method was tested for decomposition of a 500 kHz-center-frequency signal containing two overlapping components: one passing through a low-density-polyethylene plate (fast wave) and another passing through a cancellous-bone-mimicking phantom material (slow wave). The chirp filter reduced phase velocity bias from 100 m/s (5.1%) to 69 m/s (3.5%) (fast wave) and from 29 m/s (1.9%) to 10 m/s (0.7%) (slow wave). Similar improvements were found for 1) measurements in polycarbonate (fast wave) and a cancellous-bone-mimicking phantom (slow wave), and 2) a simulation based on parameters mimicking bovine cancellous bone. The MLSPCF method did not offer consistent improvement in estimates of attenuation coefficient or amplitude.     

Influence of cancellous bone microstructure on two ultrasonic wave propagations in bovine femur: an in vitro study

The influence of cancellous bone microstructure on the ultrasonic wave propagation of fast and slow waves was experimentally investigated. Four spherical cancellous bone specimens extracted from two bovine femora were prepared for the estimation of acoustical and structural anisotropies of cancellous bone. In vitro measurements were performed using a PVDF transducer (excited by a single sinusoidal wave at 1 MHz) by rotating the spherical specimens. In addition, the mean intercept length (MIL) and bone volume fraction (BV/TV) were estimated by X-ray micro-computed tomography. Separation of the fast and slow waves was clearly observed in two specimens. The fast wave speed was strongly dependent on the wave propagation direction, with the maximum speed along the main trabecular direction. The fast wave speed increased with the MIL. The slow wave speed, however, was almost constant. The fast wave speeds were statistically higher, and their amplitudes were statistically lower in the case of wave separation than in that of wave overlap.     

Reflection and transmission of plane waves from a fluid-porous piezoelectric solid interface

The reflection and transmission of plane waves from a fluid-porous piezoelectric solid interface is studied. The porous piezoelectric solid, having 6 mm symmetry, is supposed to be filled with viscous fluid. The expressions for amplitude ratios and energy ratios corresponding to reflected wave and transmitted waves are derived analytically. The Christoffel equation of a leaky wave propagating along the surface of a porous piezoelectric solid is derived. The effects of the angle of incidence, frequency, porosity, piezoelectric interaction, and anisotropy on the reflected and transmitted energy ratios are studied numerically for a particular model BaTiO(3). The porous piezoelectric solid half space is assumed to be loaded with water. The effects of porosity and frequency on the leaky wave velocity are also studied.     

多孔介质BISQ模型中的慢纵波

着重研究了多孔介质BISQ模型中慢纵波的基本特性.给出了BISQ模型下慢纵波速度 和衰减的低频近似公式.与Biot理论对比，BISQ模型中慢纵波的衰减随频率降低急剧增大， 且随喷射流长度的减小而增加；相速度随喷射流长度的减小而增加，其低频极限值不是零； 孔隙流体位移与固相骨架位移之比的幅值随喷射流长度的增加而减小，其相位特点与Biot模 型预测的不同；在流体与孔隙介质的边界上可产生更大的渗流.为对比，同时也给出快纵波 的行为.依据BISQ模型可推断：非黏滞流体饱和孔隙介质中不存在喷射流机理；BISQ模型中 关键词： 多孔介质 喷射流 慢纵波 动力协调     

Inverse problems in cancellous bone: estimation of the ultrasonic properties of fast and slow waves using Bayesian probability theory

Quantitative ultrasonic characterization of cancellous bone can be complicated by artifacts introduced by analyzing acquired data consisting of two propagating waves (a fast wave and a slow wave) as if only one wave were present. Recovering the ultrasonic properties of overlapping fast and slow waves could therefore lead to enhancement of bone quality assessment. The current study uses Bayesian probability theory to estimate phase velocity and normalized broadband ultrasonic attenuation (nBUA) parameters in a model of fast and slow wave propagation. Calculations are carried out using Markov chain Monte Carlo with simulated annealing to approximate the marginal posterior probability densities for parameters in the model. The technique is applied to simulated data, to data acquired on two phantoms capable of generating two waves in acquired signals, and to data acquired on a human femur condyle specimen. The models are in good agreement with both the simulated and experimental data, and the values of the estimated ultrasonic parameters fall within expected ranges.