Abstract
The ultrasonic treatment of varicose veins uses high-intensity focused ultrasound, in which a blood vessel is contracted by converting acoustic energy into thermal energy. In this study, we propose a phantom of varicose veins that can be applied for the efficient evaluation of ultrasonic treatment in varicose veins. The proposed phantom consisted of glycerol base tissue equivalent material, vessel mimic tube, and blood mimic substances. The vessel mimic tube was placed inner glycerol phantom and it was filled with blood mimic substances. Blood-mimicked substances are prepared by adjusting the concentration of the glycerol solution to be similar to the acoustic properties of the blood, and vessel-mimicking materials are selected by measuring acoustic properties and thermal shrinkage of various materials in a heat-shrinkable tube. The blood vessels surrounding the tissue are replaced with the phantom similar to glycerol-based organization, and venous blood flow is implemented using a DC motor. The heating characteristics according to the ultrasonic wave using the manufactured varicose veins phantom were evaluated. As the sound wave irradiation time and power increased, the contractility of the vessel mimicking materials and the temperature of the surrounding tissues were increased. When the blood-mimicking material was circulated, the highest temperature in the focused region and the contractility of vessel mimicking materials were reduced under the same conditions as used for sonication. The manufactured phantom may contribute to the treatment of varicose veins and can be used to predict the ultrasonic therapeutic efficiency of varicose veins.
Highlights
Varicose veins is a blood reflux disease that superficial veins visibly protruding out of the skin
A DC motor was used to implement blood flow in the varicose veins in a patient, and in order to evaluate the usefulness of the proposed phantom, the contraction of the vessel mimic tube and the temperature rise in the surrounding tissue were observed
Blood vessel mimic substances used as varicose vein phantom have to similar heat contraction and acoustic characteristics with human tissue
Summary
Varicose veins is a blood reflux disease that superficial veins visibly protruding out of the skin. It cause high venous pressure and valvular dysfunction caused by protruded superficial veins. This condition is mainly observed in women who stand or sit in one place for long periods of time. Varicose vein treatments include vein surgery, sclerotherapy drugs, varicose radio frequency closure, and the intravenous laser therapy. These treatments can cause wound complications and neurological damage, hematoma and blood clots in veins, and phlebitis as side effects [2]. The possibility of varicose vein treatment using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has been proposed
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