Ultrasonic characterization of selected renal tissues

Velocity, attenuation, and backscatter of ultrasound were measured in human renal tissues over a frequency range relevant to clinical imaging (3.5-7 MHz). Normal renal tissues, as well as three types of mass (angiomyolipoma, renal cell carcinoma, and oncocytoma) were studied, and comparisons made of the appearance of the tissues in clinical images to their ultrasonic and pathological properties. The results showed angiomyolipoma had high attenuation and backscatter coefficients due to acoustic impedance differences between fat and smooth muscle components of the tumour. The renal cell carcinomas were indistinguishable from normal kidney tissue, except in one case where infiltration by fatlike macrophages led to high attenuation and backscatter coefficients. This finding also supports the conclusion that fat/nonfat interfaces are a dominant scatter mechanism in renal tissues.