Abstract: A method is provided for generating at least one quantitative measure of a joint comprising sending an acoustic signal to at least a part of a joint, receiving said acoustic signal after modification by said joint, analyzing the received acoustic signal with a computer, and generating, from said computer, one or more of a quantitative surface, quantitative volumetric and quantitative measurements of the physical properties of the joint or a portion thereof.

Abstract: A method for determining an acoustic velocity in a segment of a bone covered with a layer of soft tissue having an outer surface, which includes determining a first travel time of a first ultrasonic wave along a first path from the outer surface back to the outer surface which path includes at least a first part of the bone segment together with determining a second travel time of a second ultrasonic wave along a second path from the outer surface back to the outer surface, which path includes at least a second part of the bone segment and also determining a third travel time of a third ultrasonic wave along a third path from the outer surface back to the outer surface which path includes at least a third part of the bone segment, and deriving the acoustic velocity in the segment of bone from the three determined travel times.

Abstract: A method of determining an acoustic velocity in a bone, comprising: transmitting, from a location adjacent a first in-vivo bone, an acoustic wave having a wavelength about the same or smaller than a cross-section of the bone, which cross-section is perpendicular to a main travel direction of said acoustic wave in said bone; receiving said acoustic wave at a location adjacent a second in-vivo bone; and determining an acoustic velocity of at least a portion of at least one of the first and second bones, from a travel time of said wave through said first and second bones and at least one joint between said bones.

Abstract: A method for measuring bone age including:

Abstract: A method of determining the velocity of a flowing material, suspended in a liquid and flowing in a conduit, including irradiating the conduit with ultrasonic waves, detecting first Doppler-shifted reflections of the waves from the material, which first reflections have a positive Doppler-shift, and detecting second Doppler shifted reflections of the waves from the material, which second reflections have a negative Doppler-shift. The flow velocity is estimated based on the extent of the positive and negative Doppler-shifts. The first and second reflections may be summed to form a composite signal and the range of Doppler-shifts in the composite signal is used to estimate the flow velocity.