Self-Made Ultrasound Phantom using Sodium Alginate as Gelling Agent

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K01338
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Medical systems
• Research Institution: Nippon Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: AOYAGI Minoru 日本工業大学, 工学部, 教授 (00342436)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: アルギン酸ナトリウム / アルギン酸カルシウム / ハイドロゲル / Cryo-SEM / Calcein / 超音波ファントム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For medical workers, ultrasonic phantoms are used not only for training on ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, but also to aid ultrasonic-guided needle and blind catheter insertion procedures. The target values of the acoustic characteristics of the phantoms are required to simulate the characteristics of human soft tissue. We propose the phantom made of sodium alginate, calcium sulfate dihydrate, trisodium phosphate dodecahydrate, glycerol, and water in the ratio of 1 : 2 : 1 : 10 : 50, respectively. The proposed phantom was able to obtain values close to the human soft tissue.　Micrometer-sized structures of the proposed phantom were examined by optical microscopy, cryogenic scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Results revealed that the gel comprises a mixed structure of regions in which micrometer-sized gel networks and domains existed and regions in which they were absent.

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