A high resolution computer model for sound propagation in the human thorax based on the Visible Human data set

Abstract

A parallel supercomputer model based on realistic tissue data is developed for sound propagation in the human thorax and the sound propagation behavior is analyzed under various conditions using artificial sound sources. The model uses the Visible Human® 1 1 An anatomical data set developed under a contract from the National Library of Medicine by the Departments of Cellular and Structural Biology, and Radiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine. male data set for a realistic representation of the human thorax. The results were analyzed in time and frequency domains. The analysis suggests that lower frequencies of around 100 Hz are more effectively transmitted through the thorax and that the spatial confinement of sound waves within the thorax results in a resonance effect at around 1500 Hz . The results confirm previous studies that show the size of the thorax plays a significant role in the type of sound generated at the chest wall.