Quantitative monitoring of bone healing process using ultrasound

In this paper, results of the simulated interaction of ultrasound waves with a fractured Tibia are presented. The Tibia bone fracture is one of the most difficult fractures to treat because of the slow healing process which may take up to 5 months. The human body is modeled as a four layer medium: skin, fasciae with fat, muscle and bone. Each of these layers is characterized by its acoustic impedance. These impedances influence the incident, transmitted and reflected ultrasound pressure waves. A mathematical model which describes these interactions was developed and used to compute the reflection coefficient at the transducer side. This coefficient will then be used to quantify the bone healing process.