Ultrasound-modulated light tomography assessment of osteoporosis

We present a preliminary series of clinical experiments showing that ultrasound modulation of light in tissues allows tissue properties to be determined well inside the tissue. In this series of clinical experiments the optical scattering coefficient determined by the optical technique is compared with the bone density obtained by dual x-ray absorption. A correlation of 0.84 (p = 0.005) was found for a limited number of patients, showing the potential of this technique for the assessment of osteoporosis.