A simulation algorithm for ultrasound liver backscattered signals.

In this study, we present a simulation algorithm for the backscattered ultrasound signal from liver tissue. The algorithm simulates backscattered signals from normal liver and three different liver abnormalities. The performance of the algorithm has been tested by statistically comparing the simulated signals with corresponding signals obtained from a previous in vivo study. To verify that the simulated signals can be classified correctly we have applied a classification technique based on an artificial neural network. The acoustic features extracted from the spectrum over a 2.5 MHz bandwidth are the attenuation coefficient and the change of speed of sound with frequency (dispersion). Our results show that the algorithm performs satisfactorily. Further testing of the algorithm is conducted by the use of a data acquisition and analysis system designed by the authors, where several simulated signals are stored in memory chips and classified according to their abnormalities.