Focused ultrasonic wave in submerged cancellous bone

In this paper we present some results from our research on the interrogation of cancellous bone using ultrasound. Cancellous bone is known to be poroelastic in structure and, hence, Biot's equations may be applicable. In order to do the interrogation we consider using focused, ultrasonic, waves, symmetric about the axis of propagation. This suggests that we formulate the Biot equations using cylindrical coordinates. Our results provide relations involving the velocities of the transmitted waves and the Biot coefficients and these have clinical applications to the determination of osteoporosis of the cancellous bone.