Characterizing Biot constants from ultrasound through trabecular bone

Reliable quantification of mechanical constants of bone tissue is an open issue with relevance for the diagnostic of bone quality disorders, such as osteoporosis. The reconstruction of such parameters from nondestructive testing based on ultrasonic transmission of pulses and model-based solution of the identification inverse problem is proposed as a novel technique with high potential not only due to the reduced cost and its non-ionizing nature, but for the direct relationship and sensitivity of the propagation of those mechanical waves to the mechanical strength of bone, which defines the ultimate criterion for diagnosis. This work is aimed at (i) evaluating the feasibility of the model-based inverse problem to reconstruct the mechanical constants that govern Biot theory, and quantify its accuracy and error for trabecular bone specimens. A second goal is (ii) to validate to which extent the Biot theory assumed in the model of wave propagation is valid, and if any corrections can empirically be suggested to overcome inconsistencies.