Abstract
A popular alternative of preparing multilayer or microfluidic chip based phantoms could have helped to simulate the subsurface vascular network, but brought inevitable problems. In this work, we describe the preparation method of a single layer skin equivalent tissue phantom containing interior vessel channels, which mimick the superficial microvascular structure. The fabrication method does not disturb the optical properties of the turbiding matrix material. The diameter of the channels reaches a value of 50 μm. The size, as well as the geometry of the generated vessel structures are investigated by using the SD-OCT system. Our preliminary results confirm that fabrication of such a phantom is achievable and reproducible. Prospectively, this phantom is used to calibrate the optical angiographic imaging approaches.
Highlights
Optical imaging studies are widely performed in clinical or experimental trials to reconstruct human organs, such as brain, liver, breast and skin
We investigate the geometry of the vessel structures and evaluate the uniformity of the diameter along the vessel channels by using a SD-optical coherence tomography (OCT) (Telesto-II-SP1, Thorlabs GmbH, Germany)
This transparent phantom is individually prepared to monitor the dissolving of the copper wires in the matrix material and to prove the perfusability of the vessel channels by including with ink (see Fig. 2(b)) air bubbles remain in the transparent phantom, they do not affect its function even when the de-gasing is skipped for time efficiency
Summary
Optical imaging studies are widely performed in clinical or experimental trials to reconstruct human organs, such as brain, liver, breast and skin. Wang et al presented an additive production process to print a vessel pattern inside a phantom in their pioneer work [15] These embossed structures lack of an exact dimensional analogy to the real microvascular according to the morphology of skin [13,14,15]. It is crucial to decrease the diameter of the embedded vessel structures to a value resembling a real microvasculature Another challenge is, that the optical properties of this phantom replicate those of skin tissue and should not be significantly changed by the fabrication process. This work pertains to prepare a skin equivalent phantom with micron-scale interior hollow vessel channels to utilize biological / artificial inclusion This phantom will be used to calibrate the optical angiographic approaches, like SD-OCT, diffuse optical imaging or hyperspectral imaging studied in our lab
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