Ultrasonic densitometer device and method

摘要

An ultrasonic densitometer has at least one ultrasonic transducer (21) and preferably a pair of such transducers spaced apart, each of which includes an array of ultrasonic transducer elements (a-1). Ultrasound pulses are launched from each element and are received as a reflected pulse by the same element or received by the corresponding element of the second transducer. The densitometer has means for deriving from the received ultrasonic signals at least one parameter such as time of transit between the transducers related to the physical properties of the member (32) at that point in the array. By sequentially selecting the elements in the array it is possible to identify a reproducible region of interest in a skeletal member which is being investigated. <IMAGE>