ULTRASONIC TISSUE CHARACTERIZATION OF RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA TISSUE

The purpose of this study was to characterize renal cell carcinoma tis sue by the measurement of microacoustic properties, A scanning acousti c microscope system operating in the frequency range of 100-200 MHz wa s employed and the attenuation constant and sound speed were measured on the two-dimensional distribution. The values of attenuation constan t and sound speed were lower in both kinds of cancer cells than those in normal kidney, although a significant difference was not found betw een the clear cell and granular cell. Also, both acoustic parameters o f cancer cells were significantly lower than those in hemorrhage and f ibrosis. These data suggest that the elasticity of renal cell carcinom a tissue may be lower than that of normal kidney. Moreover, the high i ntensity echo in clinical echography may be related to the heterogenei ty of the microacoustic field in the carcinoma tissue.