Cortical bone quality assessment using quantitative ultrasound on long bones

The potential of ultrasonic guided waves to identify geometrical and elastic properties of long cortical bone was tested in this feasibility study. In this paper, we present the general framework of the inversion process applied to guided waves measurements performed on test cases and on one in vitro sample of human long cortical bone (forearm). Test cases were flat plates of bone mimicking material. Cortical thickness and direction dependent elastic properties of a long cortical bone were identified from ultrasound guided waves measurements. While the results need to be confirmed on a large set of bone specimens, this study opens new perspectives for axial transmission technique, due to the fact that measurements were performed under actual conditions of clinical measurements, i.e. with a probe and a signal processing dedicated to clinical use.