Associations between parameters of ultrasound transmission and structural parameters of cortical bone

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) methods have been shown to be useful in the assessment of bone status. Nevertheless, ultrasound transmission depends on a variety of skeletal parameters, and a detailed understanding of ultrasound propagation through bone is important for the accurate interpretation of QUS results. We determined correlations between morphometrical and QUS parameters at the shaft of human finger phalanges using ultrasound transmission under different angles. 54 phalanges were measured in vitro using QUS and micro computed tomography (μ-CT). μ-CT was used for the derivation of geometrical parameters and cortical porosity. Significant and in part independent correlations between QUS and morphometry could be found indicating that QUS methods might be able to estimate different aspects of bone quality.