ESTIMATION OF TISSUE PARAMETERS DERIVED FROM REFLECTED ULTRASOUND.

We propose a method of estimating two tissue parameters, that is, the reflection coefficient and attenuation coefficient from the reflected ultrasound for the purpose of improving the resolution of ultrasonic images and obtaining information on tissue characterization. The reflection coefficient is estimated by deconvolution technique using Kalman filter taking into account the distortion of the propagating pulse due to the frequency-dependent attenuation. The attenuation is estimated by adaptive processings based upon the criterion function calculated using estimates of the reflection coefficient. Simulated signals are used to investigate the ability of this method. Additionally, actual reflected signals from soft tissues are processed by the method. The results show that the method can be applied in clinical cases.