EQUIPMENT INDEPENDENT ULTRASOUND TISSUE C HARACTERIZATION OF HUMAN TESTIS AND PROSTATE

The result of a B-scan ultrasound examination is strongly dependent on the type of the used B-system,the chosen system parameters and the ex perience and critical analysis of the clinical investigator. The estim ation of quantitative acoustic parameters,independent of the type of t he used B-system, is one way to overcome the subjective nature and the problems of the interpretation of B-scan images. A procedure was deve loped to determine acoustical tissue specific parameters (ultrasound a ttenuation, relative backscatter coefficient) in terms of the ultrasou nd spectroscopy and to correct the system effects. A requirement for t he calculation of acoustical parameters is the availability of primary rf echo signals without any preprocessing. Up to now measurements of phantom materials and in-vivo investigations on human testis and prost ate have been carried out. The effects of pathological changes in the tissue state on the acoustical parameters are demonstrated in some exa mples.