A detailed review of the literature on ultrasonic propagation properties of mammalian tissues and organs has revealed 144 papers containing compilable data. Over 1300 lines of parametric data are listed, including the tissue, species, age, specimen preparation, anatomical structure, pathology, temperature, measurement method, frequency, velocity, attenuation, acoustic impedance, and density.

Abstract--The ultrasonic absorption was determined, by the transient thermoelectric method, for brain, heart, kidney, liver, tendon, and testis from cat, mouse, pig and beef. Comparison of these absorption {a) values with published values of attenuation (A) shows: (1) that the a and A coefficients have nearly the same frequency dependencies in the range 0.5-7 MHz, (2) that the magnitudes of a and A differ appreciably and that difference depends upon the method of measurement and tissue type, and (3) that there appears to be little species difference, at least as revealed by measurement of liver and tendon.

The compilation of the literature on ultrasonic propagation properties of mammalian tissues [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, 423 (1978)] is continued with the addition of 45 papers yielding over 700 lines of parametric data.

No abstract

The absorption and speed of ultrasound in mammalian tKsues are discussed in relation to the fractional protein content. To a first approximation, biological tissues are shown to correspond to composite materials whose ultrasonic propagation pro0erties are determined by the individual ultrasound properties of their globular and structural protein contents.