Feasibility of the diagnosis of osteoporosis with broadband reflection/backscatter loss in bovine cancellous bone

The frequency-averaged broadband reflection/backscatter loss (BRBL) from 0.5 to 1.5 MHz was introduced for the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Correlations of speed of sound (SOS), broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA), integrated reflection coefficient (IRC), and BRBL with apparent density were investigated by using previously published measurements in bovine cancellous bone in vitro. SOS exhibited a significant correlation with density (r = 0.64). A comparable correlation was observed between BUA and density (r = 0.53). IRC was moderately correlated with density (r = 0.70). A moderate correlation was also found between BRBL and density (r = 0.73). The multiple regression model including all four ultrasonic parameters resulted in a significant improvement for predicting density (r = 0.83). This study suggests that BRBL may be a useful adjunct measurement in combination with the established ultrasonic parameters such as SOS and BUA for multifeature characterization of bone.