Measurement of temperature dependence of sound velocity in biological tissues

Abstract

Transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization using Lipiodol® is one of the treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma. During this procedure, it is important to monitor the Lipiodol® deposited inside tumors. This study proposes a method for measurement of the temperature dependence of the velocity of sound in biological tissues. An ultrasonic pulse-echo method was used to measure the velocity of sound. The temperature coefficients of the velocity of sound for Lipiodol® was -2.82 m s-1 °C-1. Values of 1.07 and 1.59 m s-1 °C-1 were obtained for normal rat liver and cancerous liver tissue, respectively. Thus, this procedure may potentially allow for the evaluation of the infiltration of Lipiodol® inside tumors.