Estimation of Internal Viscoelasticity by Mechanical Impedance

In evaluating the stiffness of skin surface, internal structures such as bone and muscle often affect the measurements. In the present paper, acoustic random vibration is used to estimated the viscoelasticity of a silicone-gel model. This viscoelasticity, which includes two different stiffness strata, is first estimated using a mechanical impedance spectrum, which describes the relation between the depth and viscoelasticity of internal objects. This method is applied to the depth of a silicone-gel tumor model measured by ultrasound imaging and the viscoelasticity of internal gel can be accurately estimated.