The physical properties of ultrasound, particularly its highly directional beam behaviour, and its complex interactions with human tissues, have led to its becoming a vitally important tool in both investigative and interventional medicine, and one that still has much exciting potential.

This new edition of a well-received book treats the phenomenon of ultrasound in the context of medical and biological applications, systematically discussing fundamental physical principles and concepts. Rather than focusing on earlier treatments, based largely on the simplifications of geometrical acoustics, this book examines concepts of wave acoustics, introducing them in the very first chapter.

Practical implications of these concepts are explored, first the generation and nature of acoustic fields, and then their formal descriptions and measurement. Real tissues attenuate and scatter ultrasound in ways that have interesting relationships to their physical chemistry, and the book includes coverage of these topics.

Physical Principles of Medical Ultrasonics also includes critical accounts and discussions of the wide variety of diagnostic and investigative applications of ultrasound that are now becoming available in medicine and biology. The book also encompasses the biophysics of ultrasound, its practical applications to therapeutic and surgical objectives, and its implications in questions of hazards to both patient and operator.

Content:
Chapter 1 Basic Acoustic Theory (pages 1–40): S. J. Leeman
Chapter 2 Generation and Structure of Acoustic Fields (pages 41–68): C. R. Hill
Chapter 3 Detection and Measurement of Acoustic Fields (pages 69–91): C. R. Hill
Chapter 4 Attenuation and Absorption (pages 93–166): J. C. Bamber
Chapter 5 Speed of Sound (pages 167–190): J. C. Bamber
Chapter 6 Reflection and Scattering (pages 191–222): R. J. Dickinson and D. K. Nassiri
Chapter 7 Physical Chemistry of the Ultrasound–Tissue Interaction (pages 223–235): A.P. Sarvazyan and C. R. Hill
Chapter 8 Ultrasonic Images and the Eye of the Observer (pages 237–253): C. R. Hill
Chapter 9 Methodology for Clinical Investigation (pages 255–302): C. R. Hill and J. C. Bamber
Chapter 10 Methodology for Imaging Time?Dependent Phenomena (pages 303–335): R. J. Eckersley and J. C. Bamber
Chapter 11 The Wider Context of Sonography (pages 337–347): C. R. Hill
Chapter 12 Ultrasonic Biophysics (pages 349–406): Gail R. ter Haar
Chapter 13 Therapeutic and Surgical Applications (pages 407–456): Gail R. ter Haar
Chapter 14 Assessment of Possible Hazard in Use (pages 457–486): Gail R. ter Haar
Chapter 15 Epilogue: Historical Perspectives (pages 487–489): C. R. Hill