Melissa CostaSenior Project 09-10

Breast Ultrasound Phantom

Introduction to Ultrasound

What is ultrasound imaging?

Also called scanning or sonography Through a transducer or scanhead, the body is

exposed to high-frequency sound waves The sound waves hit features inside the body

and reflect back to the scanhead The microphone in the scanhead records the

echoing waves, and the information is sent to a computer

The computer then creates a real-time picture on the monitor

By measuring these echo waves it is possible to determine how far away the object is and its size, shape, and consistency (whether the object is solid or filled with fluid)

What are Ultrasound Phantoms and what are they used for?

A Phantom is a material that mimics tissue, for teaching people to learn to scan, or for developing scanheads so engineers don't need live tissue present.

What is the difference between homemade and manufactured phantoms?

Manufactured phantoms are not very true to live tissue because manufactured phantoms are very uniform in how they look under ultrasound. (see next slide)

Ultrasound Phantoms

Manufactured Phantom vs.

Live Tissue

Blue Phantom Breast Phantom Live Tissue

SonoSite M-Turbo System

Phantom #1: Recipe

Ingredients: H2O, mandarin oranges, gelatin packets, Metamucil (see picture right)

Ratios (for every 250 mL of H2O): 1 tbsp Metamucil and 3 gelatin packets

1. Boil 250 mL of water

2. Gently whisk in 3 gelatin packets (see picture right)

3. Slowly stir in 1 tbsp of Metamucil and remove any undissolved chunks

Phantom #1: Recipe cont’d

4. Pour 250 mL into container and refrigerate for 1-2 hrs

5. Add mandarin oranges and make sure fruit isn’t touching (see picture right)

6. Refrigerate for 1 hour

7. Repeat steps 1-4 for top layer (see picture right)

Phantom #1: Diagram

Phantom #1: Scanned Image

Phantom #2: Recipe

The recipe is the exact same but instead of 2 layers, there are 3

The measurements for the ingredients in each layer are:166.6 mL of H2O

2 gelatin packets2 tsp of Metamucil (3 tsp=1tbsp)

Phantom #2: Diagram

Phantom #2: Scanned Image 1

Phantom #2: Scanned Image 2

Phantom #3: Recipe

My idea for this phantom was to chill 6 layers at different angles, in an attempt to create more amorphous layers

The measurements for the ingredients in each layer are:83.3 mL of H2O

1 gelatin packet<1 tsp of Metamucil (about 5/6 tsp)

Phantom #3: Diagram

Phantom #3: Scanned Image 1

Phantom #3: Scanned Image 2

Phantom #3: Scanned Image 3

Phantom #4: Recipe

1. Pack a container with a can of mandarin oranges, so they just barely touch and stack nicely

2. Slowly pour the gelatin/Metamucil solution over the oranges, trying not to disrupt their form, and leaving about half an inch of gelatin/Metamucil solution at the top

The measurements for the ingredients in each layer are:

416.6 mL of H2O

5 gelatin packets5 tsp of Metamucil

Phantom #4: Diagram

Phantom #4: Scanned Image 1

Phantom #4: Scanned Image 2

Phantom #4: Scanned Image 3

Final Product Comparison

My Phantom Live Tissue

Conclusion

What I learned/Usefulness: Use less Metamucil than recipe– my project helped the ultrasound engineers know how much Metamucil to use for different body parts, and specifically how much Metamucil to use for breast tissue

What I would do next: If I had access to a walk in refrigerator, I would try recipe #4, but rotate the container as the gelatin was congealing

THANK YOU!