Signal processing methods for through-transmission measurements of fast and slow waves in bovine and equine cancellous bone

Through-transmission measurements in cancellous bone in vitro often reveal two longitudinal waves. The velocities and amplitudes of fast and slow waves are related to bone microstructure and composition and may provide useful diagnostic information. Phase velocity and attenuation for fast and slow waves were measured as a function of propagation depth in bovine and equine cancellous bone. Ultrasound measurements were performed as the thicknesses of bone samples were systematically reduced from 15 to 6 mm (bovine) or 12 to 4 mm (equine) (Nagatani et al., Ultrasonics, 48, 607-612, 2008). Fast and slow wave properties were estimated using a Bayesian method (Marutyan et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 121, EL8-EL15, 2007) and the modified least-squares Prony’s method with curve fitting (Wear, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 133, 2490-2501, 2013). The two methods, although based on different sets of assumptions, showed excellent agreement. This work provides strong support for both algorithms and for the two-wave model for can...