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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Fabrication and Characterization of Optical Tissue Phantoms Containing Macrostructure
Published on: February 12, 2018
A Simple, Realistic, Inexpensive Nerve Phantom
Kimberly M Rathbun1, William T Brader2, John W Norbury2
1Departments of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Abstract:
Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks are common techniques in several medical specialties. Phantoms are commonly used when teaching these procedures. Commercial phantoms are expensive, and most previously published "homemade" nerve phantoms have a substantial amount of posterior shadowing, making it difficult to visualize the needle posterior to the simulated nerve. We have constructed a simple and easy-to-make nerve block phantom using a hot dog core embedded in a gelatin-psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid fiber mixture that has little to no posterior shadowing.
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