Abdominal Phantom in Ultrasound Examination

Tissue-mimicking phantom serve an important role in ultrasound research and development without the required to use human or animals in experiment.Ultrasound phantoms are generally of two types.  One mimics the acoustic properties of tissue (with regard to the speed of sound, average attenuation, etc.). The main purpose of the other is to approximate the sonographic appearance of tissue, aiding biopsy training. Comparing the two types, biopsy phantoms are simpler in construction, contain simulated cysts or masses, and are either echogenic or sonolucent. Typical values of soft tissue characteristics are the average speed of sound is 1540 m/s while attenuation coefficients range from approximately 0.5 to 3.3 dB cm−1 MHz−1; they are as  low as 0.18 dB cm−1 MHz−1 for blood. Backscatter coefficients in tissue typically range from 10−5 to 10−1 cm−1 sr−1.

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Various additives were added to a gelatin base to provide realistic acoustic and optical properties. For example forty-micron, spherical silica particles were used to induce acoustic scattering, Intralipid® 20% IV fat emulsion was employed to enhance optical scattering and ultrasonic attenuation, while India Ink, Direct Red 81, and Evans blue dyes were utilized to achieve optical absorption typical of soft tissues.

Rather than these characteristics, what I am interested in is purely on the physical properties of the phantom. This would ease the process of making a phantom however there is rarely any information can be found on it. I have decided to experiment a bit with combinations of gelatine and gelly aiming for a phantom mimicking the physical properties of human abdomen.

Referenced from:

Acoustical properties of selected tissue phantom materials for ultrasound imaging

Zell, K ; Sperl, J I ; Vogel, M W ; Niessner, R ; Haisch, C

Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2007, Vol.52(20), pp.N475-N484 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

Ultrasound Speed of Polymer Gel Mimicked Human Soft Tissue within Three Weeks
Nur Shakila Othman, Muhamad Suhaimi Jaafar, Azhar Abdul Rahman, Ernee Sazlinayati Othman, and 

Aifa Afirah Rozlan

Tissue-mimicking phantoms for photoacoustic and ultrasonic imaging

Jason R. Cook, Richard R. Bouchard,and Stanislav Y. Emelianov

Ultrasound skin characterization : an in vivo study of intra and 
inter individual variations 
M. Lebertre1
, F. Ossant
1,2
, J. Bouyer
1
, L. Vaillant1,2
, S. Diridollou
3
 and F. Patat1,2
1
GIP Ultrasons / LUSSI EA2102,Tours 
2
University Hospital, Tours 
3 Pierre Fabre Research Institute, Toulouse, France.

lebert_m@med.univ-tours.fr