Development of the stable ultrasound phantoms for superficial human tissue investigation

Ultrasound systems in dermatology are used for the assessment of tumoral and inflammatory processes, also it can become a promising technique for detecting early sings of diabetic foot ulceration. Biological phantoms are used for the development of imaging systems and evaluation of image processing algorithms. So, the purpose of this study was to develop the stable superficial tissue mimicking phantoms with inclusions located at different depths. The investigation showed that the estimated ultrasound velocity  of phantoms materials (in silicone material 977,7±16,5 m/s, and in elastomer - 1536,7±17,4 m/s) are close to the values provided by manufacturers and to the tissue as well. Also, the estimated thicknesses of the inclusions (in the first phantom - 2,44±0,02 mm, and in the second - 2,05±0,03 mm) are close to the real thicknesses of individual layers. Our long-term superficial tissue-mimicking phantoms have a potential to be the promising tools for preclinical ultrasonic investigations of the superficial tissue lesions.