Potsika Vassiliki T, Protopappas Vasilios C, Grivas Konstantinos N, Gortsas Theodoros V, Raum Kay, Polyzos Demosthenes K, Fotiadis Dimitrios I
Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, GR 26500 Patras, Greece.
J Acoust Soc Am. 2017 Aug;142(2):962. doi: 10.1121/1.4998722.
The propagation of ultrasound in healing long bones induces complex scattering phenomena due to the interaction of an ultrasonic wave with the composite nature of callus and osseous tissues. This work presents numerical simulations of ultrasonic propagation in healing long bones using the boundary element method aiming to provide insight into the complex scattering mechanisms and better comprehend the state of bone regeneration. Numerical models of healing long bones are established based on scanning acoustic microscopy images from successive postoperative weeks considering the effect of the nonhomogeneous callus structure. More specifically, the scattering amplitude and the acoustic pressure variation are calculated in the backward direction to investigate their potential to serve as quantitative and qualitative indicators for the monitoring of the bone healing process. The role of the excitation frequency is also examined considering frequencies in the range 0.2-1 MHz. The results indicate that the scattering amplitude decreases at later stages of healing compared to earlier stages of healing. Also, the acoustic pressure could provide supplementary qualitative information on the interaction of the scattered energy with bone and callus.
由于超声波与骨痂和骨组织的复合性质相互作用，超声波在愈合中的长骨中传播会引发复杂的散射现象。这项工作使用边界元法对愈合中的长骨中的超声波传播进行了数值模拟，旨在深入了解复杂的散射机制，并更好地理解骨再生状态。基于术后连续几周的扫描声学显微镜图像，考虑到非均匀骨痂结构的影响，建立了愈合中的长骨的数值模型。更具体地说，计算向后方向的散射幅度和声压变化，以研究它们作为监测骨愈合过程的定量和定性指标的潜力。还考虑了0.2 - 1MHz范围内的频率来研究激发频率的作用。结果表明，与愈合早期相比，愈合后期的散射幅度减小。此外，声压可以提供关于散射能量与骨和骨痂相互作用的补充定性信息。
