# ACCURATE IN VIVO ULTRASONIC SCATTERING ASSESSMENTS

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 1993 · $152,983

## Abstract

The long term goals of this research are to produce accurate, quantitative
assessments of ultrasound scattering in vivo, to improve the noninvasive
diagnostic capabilities of medical ultrasound.  This research will center
on the diagnosis and monitoring of diffuse liver disease with ultrasound
and the detection and differentiation of focal lesions, especially when
these are masked by diffuse disease conditions.  The hypothesis is that
quantitative backscatter images depicting backscatter levels and
backscatter frequency dependence, as well as acoustic parameters derived
from backscatter signals, including attenuation, scatterer size estimated
from spatial auto correlation functions and scatterer number densities,
will provide improved differentiation between normal and diseased
conditions.

Instrumentation will be adopted to expand the frequency range of liver
backscatter estimates, and a data base on backscatter and attenuation
coefficients for normal individuals will be expanded.  Newly derived
parameters for assessing scatterer size and number density will be further
evaluated in phantoms, including novel ones constructed to model liver
disease.  When thoroughly understood, values for these parameters will be
obtained for normal liver.  Work will continue to measure backscatter,
attenuation, and when available, scatterer size and number density in a
large group of patients with diffuse liver disease.  These studies will be
extended to individuals with proven focal lesions in the liver, exploring
new ways to acquire and display echo data. Finally, animals models for
fatty infiltration in the liver, cirrhosis and steroid induced hepatophy
will be used to further our understanding of acoustic changes accompanying
liver disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3177991
- **Project number:** 2R01CA039224-12
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **SAM.gov UEI:** LCLSJAGTNZQ7
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMES A. ZAGZEBSKI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $152,983
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1985-09-01 → 1997-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3177991

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3177991, ACCURATE IN VIVO ULTRASONIC SCATTERING ASSESSMENTS (2R01CA039224-12). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3177991. Licensed CC0.

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