| abstract |
A method of characterizing a bone, the method comprising receiving (102) ultrasonic wave echo signals emitted into a body, determining (104) a velocity of sound in a non-biological tissue of the body, the location (106) of a first demarcation curve between the non-bone biological tissue and the bone in an image of the body constructed during said determination, and the determination (108) of a sound velocity in the bone. The speed determination steps include constructing images from the signals, and calculating metrics indicative of focus quality in the constructed images. |