Method and apparatus for determining conditions of biological tissues
First Claim
1. A method of determining characteristics of tissue of the respiratory system in situ, said method including:
- introducing an audible sound to the tissue at a first position;
detecting the sound at a second position spaced from the first position after it has traveled through the tissue;
calculating the velocity and attenuation of sound that has traveled through the tissue from the first position to the second position; and
correlating the velocity and attenuation of the detected sound to characteristics of the tissue of the respiratory system.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method of determining characteristics of biological tissues in humans and animals. In particular, it relates to determining the characteristics of tissues such as the lungs and airways by introducing a sound to the tissue, and recording the sound. The invention further includes an apparatus capable of such measurement. In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of determining characteristics of biological tissue in situ, including: introducing a sound to the tissue at first position; detecting the sound at another position spaced from the first position after it has traveled through the tissue; calculating the velocity and attenuation of sound that has traveled through the tissue from the first position to another position; and correlating the velocity and attenuation of the detected sound to characteristics of the biological tissue.
78 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of determining characteristics of tissue of the respiratory system in situ, said method including:
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introducing an audible sound to the tissue at a first position; detecting the sound at a second position spaced from the first position after it has traveled through the tissue; calculating the velocity and attenuation of sound that has traveled through the tissue from the first position to the second position; and correlating the velocity and attenuation of the detected sound to characteristics of the tissue of the respiratory system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification