Ultrasonic Characterization of the Biological Objects of Spherical or Cylindrical Shape Using an Acoustic Microscope

Abstract

The ability of an acoustic microscope in the investigation of biological objects with irregular surface, layered structure, different physical and acoustical properties has been estimated. Acoustic images and the results of tissue layers thickness measurements have been analyzed with 3 objects: extracted human tooth, cats' knee joint in vitro and human nail in vivo. It has been demonstrated, that unlike metal or polymeric samples the biological objects of a ball or cylindrical shape due to the fine surface irregularities can produce acoustic images of their internal structures, which are in a good correspondence with the real microanatomical parameters. Morphological resemblance of the biological objects shape in acoustical and optical images provides precise measuring of separate tissue layers in a noninvasive mode that can not be performed with any other method.