Abstract
Ultrasonic wave velocities in small trabeculae of bovine femur were investigated using a micro-Brillouin scattering technique. Our micro-Brillouin scattering system enables the measurement of wave velocities in the GHz range over a minute area (diameter: approximately 10 µm). Using thin trabecular specimens with a thickness of about 150 µm, the distribution of longitudinal wave velocity in a trabecula was observed. In the direction parallel to the trabecular alignment, the velocity changed depending on the measurement position. We measured 20 different trabeculae in our specimens, and the average wave velocities in each trabecula were similar at approximately 4.92×103 m/s. In addition, the difference in average velocity was not statistically significant between trabeculae that align in the bone axis or anterior–posterior directions. These data tell us the possibility that the average wave properties are similar in all trabeculae.