Acoustic microscopy for detection of osteoporotic bone properties

Acoustic microscopy reveals the possibility of delivering morphological and mechanical information simultaneously in the microscopic range and in two dimensions. Acoustic impedance was measured using a highly focussed 50 MHz transducer and a 200 MHz transducer to study the change in acoustic properties of bone in the case of osteoporotic skeletal disease. Iliac crest specimens, for which biopsies had shown different degrees of osteoporosis severity in histological staging, were measured by acoustic microscopy. The mean acoustic impedance, which is known to correlate well with bone mechanical properties, showed a decrease with the severity of the disease.