Date of Award
2018
Publication Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
M.Sc.
Department
Physics
Keywords
acoustic; biomarker; cancer; fingernail; oncology; ultrasound
Supervisor
Maev, Roman
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
The human fingernail is a vital organ used by humans on a daily basis and can provide an immense supply of information based on the biological feedback of the body. By studying the quantitative mechanical and acoustic properties of fingernails, a better understanding of the scarcely-investigated field of ungual research can be explored. Investigating fingernail properties with the use of pulse-echo ultrasound is the aim of this thesis. This thesis involves the application of a developed portable ultrasonic device in a hospital-based data collection and the advancement of ultrasonic methodology to include the calculation of acoustic impedance, density and elasticity. The results of the thesis show that the reflectance method can be utilized to determine fingernail properties with a maximum 17% deviation from literature. Repeatability of measurements fell within a 95% confidence interval. Thus, the ultrasonic reflectance method was validated and may have potential clinical and cosmetic applications.
Recommended Citation
Vacarescu, Rares Anthony, "Development and Implementation of an Ultrasonic Method to Characterize Acoustic and Mechanical Fingernail Properties" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 7402.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7402