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Tissue-simulating Phantoms for Assessing Potential Near-infrared Fluorescence Imaging Applications in Breast Cancer Surgery
Published on: September 19, 2014
Silicone-based composite materials simulate breast tissue to be used as ultrasonography training phantoms
Burcin Ustbas1, Deniz Kilic2, Ayhan Bozkurt1
1Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract:
A silicone-based composite breast phantom is fabricated to be used as an education model in ultrasonography training. A matrix of silicone formulations is tracked to mimic the ultrasonography and tactile response of human breast tissue. The performance of two different additives: (i) silicone oil and (ii) vinyl-terminated poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) are monitored by a home-made acoustic setup. Through the use of 75 wt% vinyl-terminated PDMS in two-component silicone elastomer mixture, a sound velocity of 1.29 ± 0.09 × 103 m/s and an attenuation coefficient of 12.99 ± 0.08 dB/cm-values those match closely to the human breast tissue-are measured with 5 MHz probe. This model can also be used for needle biopsy as well as for self-exam trainings. Herein, we highlight the fabrication of a realistic, durable, accessible, and cost-effective training platform that contains skin layer, inner breast tissue, and tumor masses.
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