Ultrasonic velocity change imaging of a human forearm

Abstract

Abstract We have investigated noninvasive imaging of the adipose region in the living human body, utilizing an ultrasonic velocity change (UVC) method caused by body temperature change. Our primary goal is to determine the optimal measurement conditions for acquiring effective UVC images. To achieve this objective, we applied the UVC method to the forearm area, which is easily comprehensible in terms of the body’s internal structure and less susceptible to motion artifacts from the heartbeat. By utilizing echo data approximately 30 s after initiating ultrasonic warming, adjusting the time difference between paired images for UVC image generation to multiples of the heartbeat period, and selectively extracting and analyzing image pairs with high correlation values, we successfully obtained effective UVC images targeting humans for the first time. This process enables noninvasive differentiation between subcutaneous fat and muscle regions in the human forearm.