The article presents a retrospective view on assessment of long bones condition using topographical patterns of the acoustic properties. The studies were initiated in 1980-ths in Latvia by application of ultrasonic point-contact transducers with exponential waveguides on a short acoustic base for detailed measurements in human long bones by the surface transmission. The guided wave velocity was mapped upon the surface of the long bones and the topographical patterns reflected the biomechanical peculiarities. Axial velocity profiles obtained in vivo by measurements along the medial surface of tibia varied due to aging, hypokinesia and physical training. The method has been advanced at Artann Laboratories (NJ, USA) by introduction of multi-frequency data acquisition and axial scanning. The model studies carried out on synthetic phantoms and in bone specimens confirmed a possibility to control differentially changes of the bone material properties and the cortical thickness by multi-frequency acoustic measurements at 0.1 – 1MHz band. The Bone Ultrasonic Scanner (BUSS) – an axial mode ultrasonometer has been developed. Acoustic profile of bone obtained by BUSS allows detecting bone atrophy onset as a spatial process. Clinical trials demonstrated high sensitivity of BUSS to osteoporosis and possibility to assess early stage of osteopenia.