Dependences of ultrasonic properties on the propagation angle with respect to the trabecular alignment in trabecular bone

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the dependences of ultrasonic properties on the propagation angle with respect to the trabecular alignment in 12 bovine femoral trabecular bone samples. The phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient of the fast wave measured at 0.5 MHz were found to decrease significantly with increasing angle and had their maximum values at 0°, i.e., for wave propagation in a direction parallel to the predominant trabecular alignment. The present study applied the angle-dependent Biot model by introducing anisotropy into the Biot model through the angle-dependent Young’s, bulk, and shear moduli of the skeletal frame for trabecular bone to predict the measurements. Good agreement between the measurements and the prediction of the fast wave velocity suggests that the anisotropic fast wave velocity as a function of the propagation angle is mainly due to the variation in the elastic moduli of the skeletal frame with respect to the trabecular alignment.