Ultrasonic Backscatter Coefficients, Attenuation Coefficients, and Speed of Sound Measurements on Human Colon Carcinoma Cells
Date
2017-07-10
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Abstract
Measuring and analyzing the ultrasonic properties of cancer cells in vitro may
identify specific properties of these cells leading to better ultrasound diagnostics. We
aim to quantify human colon carcinoma cells through ultrasonic measurements of speed
of sound, attenuation coefficients and backscatter coefficients at various frequencies.
Measurements were made using single element transducers at frequencies of 5-25MHz
in a controlled water-tank environment. Human Colon Carcinoma cells (HCT) were
cultured and a pellet made using 1% agar solution. The attenuation, speed of sound and
backscatter coefficients were then measured in order to determine quantitative
information. For the speed of sound and attenuation experiments, the sample was
placed between a transmitting transducer, connected to an amplifier and a function
generator, and a receiving transducer connected to an oscilloscope. The amplitude of
the wave and the delay time of the pulse were recorded with and without the sample
compared to the water only path. The attenuation coefficients and the speed of sound
were calculated based on changes in time and wave amplitude due to the presence of
the sample. A backscatter experiment from 5-25MHz using a single element focused
transducer was also performed. The transducer was connected to a pulser receiver and
the output of the pulser receiver connected to an oscilloscope that displayed the
transmission of the signal. When the sample was aligned with the transducer, a signal
was recorded and the coefficient calculated using Matlab. We are currently working to
improve the speed of sound, attenuation, and backscatter data obtained in order to
quantify the tissue characteristics of HCT cells. Future directions would include
comparing data obtained for HCT cells with other cancer cells as well as against normal
human colon cell lines.
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Keywords
Cancer, Speed of Sound, Human Carcinoma Cells, Attenuation, Backscatter, Transducer, Frequency, Ultrasound