Title :
Structure function for high-concentration biophantoms of polydisperse scatterer sizes
Author :
Aiguo Han ; O´brien, William
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
Abstract :
Ultrasonic backscattering coefficient (BSC) has been used extensively to characterize tissue. In most cases, sparse scatterer concentrations are assumed. However, many types of tissues have dense scattering media. This study addresses the problem of dense media scattering by taking into account the correlation among scatterers using the structure functions. The effect of scatterer polydispersity on the structure functions is investigated. Structure function models based on polydisperse scatterers are theoretically developed and experimentally evaluated against the structure functions obtained from cell pellet biophantoms. The biophantoms were constructed by placing live cells of known concentration in coagulation media to form a clot. The BSCs of the biophantoms were estimated using single-element transducers over the frequency range from 11 to 105 MHz. Experimental structure functions were obtained by comparing the BSCs of two cell concentrations. The structure functions predicted by the models agreed with the experimental structure functions. Fitting the models yielded cell radius estimates that were consistent with direct light microscope measures. The results demonstrate the role of scatterer position correlation on dense media scattering, and the significance of scatterer polydispersity on structure functions. This work may lead to more accurate modeling of ultrasonic scattering in dense medium for improved tissue characterization.
Keywords :
backscatter; biological tissues; biomedical ultrasonics; cellular biophysics; phantoms; ultrasonic scattering; cell pellet biophantoms; dense media scattering; direct light microscope measures; frequency 11 MHz to 105 MHz; high-concentration biophantoms; improved tissue characterization; polydisperse scatterer sizes; scatterer polydispersity; single-element transducers; structure function; ultrasonic backscattering coefficient; ultrasonic scattering; Acoustics; Analytical models; Biological system modeling; Correlation; Scattering; Solid modeling; Tumors;
Journal_Title :
Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TUFFC.2014.006629