Measurement of the acoustic nonlinearity parameter B/A in human tissues by a thermodynamic method.

A thermodynamic method for measuring the acoustic nonlinearity parameter B/A in tissues is presented. It is based on the measurement of change in phase velocity as a function of time as the hydrostatic pressure of the sample is quickly reduced from a known value. This technique circumvents the effect of the attenuation in the medium and does not require a prior knowledge of the thermodynamic parameters of the tissues. The method is used to estimate nonlinearity parameters for normal and malignant tissues in the temperature range 20 degrees to 37 degrees C. The values and the temperature dependence of these parameters are found to vary with the nature of the tissues.