Learning objectives
To create a homemade ultrasound phantom for core biopsy practice.
Background
The use of ultrasound biopsy phantoms forms an essential part of training,
helping trainees to gain familiarity and confidence with ultrasound-guided biopsy procedures.
Traditionally,
commercially available phantoms or raw meat have been used for training purposes.
However,
cost and degradation with repeated use limits the use of commercially available phantoms and infection control concerns prevents the use of raw meat.
A cheap,
safely disposable,
compact and easily stored ultrasound phantom which mimics the sonographic appearances of tissue and target lesions can form an invaluable tool...
Findings and procedure details
Equipment Required: a round plastic bowl,
tablespoon,
whisk,
spatula,
round plastic container,
cling film,
and a tray.
Ingredients: 500ml hot (not boiling) water,
50g corn flour,
at least 4 sachets of powdered gelatine/vegetarian gel,
10 pitted olives (targets),
raisins/sultanas and food colourant.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Setting Time: 12 hours
Technique:
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir in the hot water until contents are mixed well.
Whisking may help.
Randomly stuff each olive with 1-3 raisins/sultanas (different amount of raisins inside the...
Conclusion
The recipe for a cheap,
safely disposable,
compact and easily stored ultrasound phantom which mimics the sonographic appearances of breast tissue and conceals target lesions is presented.
This is an invaluable tool for ultrasound-guided biopsy practice in breast radiology.
References
https://www.ultrasoundtraining.com.au/sb_cache/news/id/312/f/1989-McNamara-Preparation-of-us-biopsy-phantom.pdf