Comparative investigation of elastic properties in a trabecula using micro-Brillouin scattering and scanning acoustic microscopy

Micro-Brillouin scattering (mu-BR) and a 200 MHz scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) with similar spatial resolutions were applied to evaluate tissue elastic properties in two directions in a trabecula. Acoustic impedance measured by SAM was in the range of 5-9 Mrayl. Wave velocities determined by mu-BR were in the range of (4.75-5.11) x 10(3) m/s. Both exhibited a similar trend of variation across the trabecula and were significantly correlated (R-2 = 0.63-0.67, p < 0.01). mu-BR is useful for the evaluation of tissue stiffness within a trabecula. Combined with SAM or nanoindentation, it can provide additional information to assess elastic anisotropy at the micro-scale. (C) 2012 Acoustical Society of America