A Computer Model of Acoustic Wave Scattering in Soft Tissue

A model describing the scattering and image formation processes involved in conventional pulse-echo ultrasonic imaging is considered. Emphasis is placed on the transient scattering of ultrasound from dispersive soft tissue, since this is the most computationally demanding task of the simulator under development. The spectral approach considered here includes several useful features such as frequency-dependent attenuation, multiple scattering, arbitrary bulk modulus and density distributions, as well as realistic pulse configurations. Some examples illustrating the scattering algorithm are presented. When fully implemented, the simulator may serve as a test bed for ultrasonic tissue characterization, in which system and tissue parameters can be specified a priori, and various characterization methods can be compared and evaluated.