Correlation of ultrasonic backscatter parameters with transmission parameters and BMD in cancellous bone

Abstract

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) has been suggested to have a performance equal to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for the assessment of bone. In this paper, human cancellous bone is investigated in vivo using QUS and DXA. The ultrasonic backscatter method and its parameters (spectral centroid shift (SCS), apparent integrated backscatter (AIB)) are also introduced. The experimental ultrasonic backscatter signals are collected from 300 volunteers' calcanea in two hospitals, and the two parameters are calculated. Finally, correlation between ultrasonic backscatter parameters and transmission parameters (speed of sound (SOS), broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA) and stiffness index (SI)), as well as correlation between backscatter parameters and bone material density (BMD) are analyzed. The results showed that correlations between backscatter parameters and SI are better than that of SOS and BUA. SI correlates positively with SCS (r=0.613, p<0.05), as well with AIB (r=0.463, p<0.05). According to the size of SCS and AIB of ultrasonic backscattered signals, the status of cancellous bone may be assessed.