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Evaluation of the attenuation coefficients in normal and pathological breast tissue

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Abstract

The present paper reports on measurements of frequency-dependent attenuation in normal and pathological breast tissue. Measurements were performed by using pulsed transmitted ultrasound. Five groups of breast specimens including fatty tissue, fibrofatty parenchyma and fibrosis, malignant tumours with and without productive fibrosis (infiltrating ductal carcinoma scirrhous type and medullary carcinoma, respectively) have been studied. The results of the attenuation measurements indicate that the attenuation coefficient is lower for tissues with large predominance of cells (fatty tissue, medullary carcinoma) and increases with collagen fibre content (infiltrating ductal carcinoma scrirrhous type, fibrosis, fibrofatty). A comparative nonlinear (best fitting) and linear analysis of the attenuation curves shows that it does not matter whether one uses a linear or nonlinear equation to describe the attenuation curves.

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Landini, L., Sarnelli, R. Evaluation of the attenuation coefficients in normal and pathological breast tissue. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 24, 243–247 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02441619

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