A digital computer-based technique for estimating the velocity of sound in tissue is proposed. The technique utilizes the unwrapped phase spectra of full band reference and attenuated ultrasonic pulses normally used in attenuation measurements. In addition, it does not require explicit measurement of pulse-transit-times. The accuracy of the technique was tested on several computer simulated models, on specimens of known velocities (aluminum and plexiglass), and on formalin-fixed rabbit kidneys. The results indicate that the technique has an accuracy comparable to the pulse-transit-time method.
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