Wall-less flow phantom for high-frequency ultrasound applications

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Developing suitable test objects for high-frequency ultrasound scanners is challenging due to manufacturing speed, acoustic properties, and robustness limitations.
• Existing phantoms often lack the necessary characteristics for testing advanced preclinical ultrasound systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe techniques for creating a novel wall-less flow phantom.
• To utilize a robust, tissue-mimicking material for improved phantom fabrication.
• To assess the phantom's utility in testing preclinical ultrasound imaging systems.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a wall-less flow phantom using a konjac and carrageenan-based material.
• Achieving vessel dimensions mimicking mouse and rat arteries.
• Simulating steady flow at a depth of 1.0 mm.
• Investigating velocity errors using pulsed wave Doppler with a commercial preclinical ultrasound system.

Main Results:

• Successfully created a physically robust, wall-less flow phantom.
• Replicated vessel dimensions comparable to small animal arteries.
• Demonstrated the phantom's capability to simulate flow conditions at a clinically relevant depth.
• Briefly investigated velocity errors, indicating potential for system calibration.

Conclusions:

• The developed konjac and carrageenan-based phantom offers a viable solution for high-frequency ultrasound testing.
• This phantom is a valuable tool for the rapid manufacturing and testing of preclinical ultrasound imaging systems.
• Further investigations can utilize this phantom to refine ultrasound velocity measurements and system performance.