Prospects for ultrasonic spectroscopy and spectral imaging of abdominal tissues

A system for the digitization and frequency spectral analysis of radiofrequency data for ultrasonic waveforms backscattered from abdominal tissues is described. Studies of phantoms meant to simulate abdominal tissues of differing scattering characteristics indicated that frequency spectral differences due to differences in the frequency dependence of backscattering were seen with 5 MHz probes, but not with a 3.5 MHz probe. Studies of a phantom with a simulated lesion of altered scattering characteristics indicated potential for improved lesion detection and characterization, using custom circuitry developed for variable bandwidth filtering of received ultrasonic beams. The techniques discussed have potential for improved diagnosis of diffuse and focal abdominal abnormalities over that obtained with conventional ultrasonic imaging.