An Iterative, Parametric Spectral Estimation Technique for High-Resolution Pulse-Echo Ultrasound

Measurement of the slope of attenuation as a function of frequency to compute ultrasonic attenuation coefficients for thin slices of tissue with ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques is fraught with difficulties. Maximum amplitude measurements of the echo's temporal record are subject to error from interference effects as well as nonsteady-state measurement problems. Power spectrums computed from selected time segments invariably include the effect of more than one echo wavetrain, and thus the effect of more than one tissue segment.