The goal of this project was to investigate the utility of ultrasonic backscatter for the
assessment of bone status. Ultrasound offers a low-cost, portable, nonionizing alternative or
complement to common X-ray-or radioisotope (gamma ray)-based methods of bone
densitometry. Ultrasonic backscatter may provide useful information not revealed by
ultrasonic attenuation and sound-speed densitometers. Backscatter is sensitive to
microstructural variations in acoustic impedance and should therefore provide information …