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Design and Characterisation of a Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Tissue-Mimicking Polymer Phantom for Quantitative Shear
Wadhhah Aldehani1,2, Sarah Louise Savaridas1,3, Cheng Wei4
1Division of Population Health and Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK.
Polymers
|April 14, 2026
Summary
This study developed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) breast phantoms for shear wave elastography (SWE) evaluation. The phantoms demonstrated high reproducibility, supporting standardized training and improving confidence in breast imaging stiffness measurements.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Imaging
- Materials Science
Background:
- Shear wave elastography (SWE) offers quantitative stiffness assessment for breast imaging, complementing B-mode ultrasound.
- Clinical interpretation of SWE is limited by measurement variability due to operator technique and biological tissue properties.
- Developing standardized phantoms is crucial for evaluating and improving SWE measurement reproducibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and mechanically characterize polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based tissue-mimicking phantoms for breast elastography.
- To evaluate the reproducibility of SWE measurements using these custom-fabricated phantoms.
- To provide a controlled platform for assessing operator and acquisition effects on SWE measurements.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of two PVC-based breast phantoms with defined stiffness properties and embedded inclusions.
- Acquisition of repeated SWE measurements by six independent breast imagers using a fixed protocol.
- Assessment of inter-operator and intra-operator reproducibility using intraclass correlation coefficients.
Main Results:
- High inter-operator reproducibility of SWE measurements was observed across different phantom stiffness backgrounds.
- Intra-operator variability was low, with minimal data excluded after quality assurance.
- Measurement variability was lowest for solid inclusions and increased for cyst-like inclusions, particularly in stiffer backgrounds.
- SWE measurements maintained the relative stiffness order of inclusions, despite systematic differences from ground-truth values.
Conclusions:
- PVC-based polymer phantoms offer a stable and reproducible platform for evaluating SWE measurement behavior under controlled conditions.
- This phantom framework aids in isolating operator and acquisition effects, distinct from biological variability.
- The developed phantoms support methodological standardization and structured operator training in breast elastography.
