Xucai Chen Jack G. Mottley Karl Q. Schwarz Kevin J. Parker
Rochester Ctr. for Biomed. Ultrasound, Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
A new formulation for the reduction of the absolute backscatter coefficient from pulse-echo measurements is presented. Using this formulation, the diffraction correction is straightforward. This correction is a weak function of frequency, rather than the frequency squared dependence proposed by earlier investigators. A much simpler calibration method is proposed. Initial experimental evidence using a focused transducer and polystyrene spheres as scatters is presented. The proposed formulation and polystyrene spheres are sufficiently simple as to be utilized in many laboratories, enabling cross checking and consistency between sites. [Work supported by NIH and NSF.]