The project is concerned with the specification, implementation and testing of a system to be connected as an add-on device to an echographic scanner. The system will enable preprocessing, analysis and processing of echographic data and images, in order to achieve the employment of the full information available from echograms. The hardware (VME-bus based) is installed at the two institutions. A special 40 MHz (8 bits) ADC-board was developed in addition. The data acquisition software was defined and implemented enabling the single-flash storage of a full scan in RF-format (2 MBytes), as well as a storage of the original video images. The preprocessing consists of corrections for the beam diffraction, the tissue inhomogeneities and the equipment performance settings (gain, TGC). Acoustospectrographic tissue parameters and image texture parameters are estimated for tissue characterization. Multi-center clinical testing and the development and assessment of image processing methods are scheduled in the next phase of the project.