Ultrasonic tissue characterization of prostate biopsy tissues by ultrasound speed microscope.

Ultrasound speed microscope was developed for quantitative measurement of ultrasonic parameters of soft tissues. The system can measure the ultrasonic attenuation and sound speed in the tissue using fast Fourier transform of a single pulsed wave instead of burst waves used in conventional acoustic microscopy. Prostate biopsy tissues were formalin-fixed and sectioned approximately 5-6 µm in thickness. They were mounted on glass slides without cover slips. The ultrasonic transducer was mechanically scanned over the specimen. Attenuation was 1.42 ± 0.08 dB/mm and the sound speed was 1584 ± 12 m/s in prostatic cancer while both values were 1.86 ± 0.14 dB/mm and 1614 ± 30 m/s in normal prostate. The basic measurements of ultrasonic properties would help understanding the interpretation of clinical echography in diagnosis of prostate cancer.