Statistics of envelope of high frequency ultrasound signal backscattered in human dermis

The scattering of ultrasonic waves depends on the size, shape, acoustical properties and concentration of scatterers in tissue. In these study K distribution of the ultrasound backscatter envelope was used to assess the structural properties of the skin tissue. The custom-designed high frequency ultrasonic scanner was applied to obtain RF B-scans of the skin in vivo at the frequency of 20 ÷ 30MHz. The results are encouraging. The K distribution models the envelope statistics very well. The parameters of the K-distribution, namely, the effective number of scatterers may be useful for the skin characterization.