Ultrasonic phantom materials for equipment calibration

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Users of ultrasonic scanning systems for high frequency biomedical research require "phantoms" made of tissue-mimicking materials in order to calibrate the ultrasonic signals and understand the images acquired by the equipment. Without such phantoms, it is not practical to compare experimental results from different laboratories, or to transfer research findings to a clinical setting. Our objective in this project is to develop a new stable phantom material that has a similar response to ultrasound to that of human tissue at frequencies up to 50 MHz. Once this tissue-mimicking material has been developed, it can also be used by our industrial partner FujiFilmVisualSonics to assemble more complex phantoms that can be used for technician training or interpretation of ultrasonic images. The key challenge in this project is to attain appropriate levels of ultrasonic velocity, attenuation, and density to mimic human tissue - all within a single, stable material. By adjusting the amount of cross-linking of polymer chains during the manufacturing response, we intend to adjust the ultrasonic damping to bring it in line with almost any specified biomedical tissue. A process to embed thin tungsten wire filaments and nylon fibers in straight lines inside the phantom material for equipment calibration purposes is also being developed; these targets will provide a suitable calibration test for equipment to confirm that its sensitivity and resolution meet required specifications. The VisualSonics equipment could then be used with confidence to characterize any anomalies in real tissue samples, and allow research findings to be accurately evaluated.