Abstract
PurposeFlow phantoms are used in experimental settings to aid in the simulation of blood flow. Custom geometries are available, but current phantom materials present issues with degradability and/or mimicking the mechanical properties of human tissue. In this study, a method of fabricating custom wall-less flow phantoms from a tissue-mimicking gel using 3D printed inserts is developed.MethodsA 3D blood vessel geometry example of a bifurcated artery model was 3D printed in polyvinyl alcohol, embedded in tissue-mimicking gel, and subsequently dissolved to create a phantom. Uniaxial compression testing was performed to determine the Young’s moduli of the five gel types. Angle-independent, ultrasound-based imaging modalities, Vector Flow Imaging (VFI) and Blood Speckle Imaging (BSI), were utilized for flow visualization of a straight channel phantom.ResultsA wall-less phantom of the bifurcated artery was fabricated with minimal bubbles and continuous flow demonstrated. Additionally, flow was visualized through a straight channel phantom by VFI and BSI. The available gel types are suitable for mimicking a variety of tissue types, including cardiac tissue and blood vessels.ConclusionCustom, tissue-mimicking flow phantoms can be fabricated using the developed methodology and have potential for use in a variety of applications, including ultrasound-based imaging methods. This is the first reported use of BSI with an in vitro flow phantom.
Highlights
Flow phantoms serve as test beds that simulate blood flow for experimental studies
The high-cost of commercial phantoms ($500 to several thousand) is a major limitation, while other established materials and methods for phantom fabrication present issues with degradability and achieving complex, custom geometries.15,38,39 3D printing has offered a low-cost option of creating custom phantoms, including patient-specific.[9,11,19,24,51,53,54]
The wall-less phantom is comprised of a gel block with a conduit of the desired geometry and the three embedded anchors, materials costing approximately $75 to fabricate
Summary
Flow phantoms serve as test beds that simulate blood flow for experimental studies. In particular, they are often used in applications utilizing various imaging modalities, testing medical devices, and alongside computational models.[11,23,25,58] The high-cost of commercial phantoms ($500 to several thousand) is a major limitation, while other established materials and methods for phantom fabrication present issues with degradability and achieving complex, custom geometries.15,38,39 3D printing has offered a low-cost option of creating custom phantoms, including patient-specific.[9,11,19,24,51,53,54] Multiple studies have created phantoms by embedding a 3D print in various materials with subsequent removal to yield the desired geometry, most often producing wall-less phantoms, consisting of a tissue-mimicking block with a void or hollow lumen, as opposed to a walled phantom that has a thin, variable material thickness.[2,23,39,40,48,49,60]Ó 2021 The Author(s)These wall-less phantoms are useful in ultrasound-based imaging applications; the mechanical properties of the materials used are often not prioritized and their mimicry of human tissue in this regard is limited.An oil-based, synthetic tissue-mimicking gel is available commercially from Humimic Medical, LLC (Greenville, SC) in five different clear gel types (Gel 0–4), each with a different stiffness. Flow phantoms serve as test beds that simulate blood flow for experimental studies They are often used in applications utilizing various imaging modalities, testing medical devices, and alongside computational models.[11,23,25,58] The high-cost of commercial phantoms ($500 to several thousand) is a major limitation, while other established materials and methods for phantom fabrication present issues with degradability and achieving complex, custom geometries.15,38,39 3D printing has offered a low-cost option of creating custom phantoms, including patient-specific.[9,11,19,24,51,53,54] Multiple studies have created phantoms by embedding a 3D print in various materials with subsequent removal to yield the desired geometry, most often producing wall-less phantoms, consisting of a tissue-mimicking block with a void or hollow lumen, as opposed to a walled phantom that has a thin, variable material thickness.[2,23,39,40,48,49,60]. Since the source materials are 100% synthetic, the gel can be stored at room temperature indefinitely with no required additives
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