Rabell-Montiel Adela, Anderson Tom, Pye Steve D, Moran Carmel M
Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Ultrasound Med Biol. 2018 Nov;44(11):2371-2378. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.06.004. Epub 2018 Aug 1.
Tissue-mimicking materials (TMMs) are widely used in quality assurance (QA) phantoms to assess the performance of ultrasound scanners. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) defines the acoustic parameters of up to 10MHz. To manufacture a TMM that closely mimics the acoustical properties of small animal soft tissue at high frequencies, the acoustic properties of each of the individual component ingredients used in the IEC agar-TMM recipe need to be quantified. This study was aimed at evaluating whether the overall attenuation coefficient of the IEC agar-TMM is the linear sum of the attenuation coefficients of each of its ingredients. Eight batches of agar-based materials were manufactured with different combinations of ingredients from the IEC agar-TMM recipe. The percentage concentration of each ingredient used in the individual mixes was identical to that specified in the IEC recipe. The attenuation of each of these batches was measured over the ultrasound frequency range 12-50MHz, and the attenuation value of the agar component was subtracted from the attenuation values of the other batches. Batch attenuation values, representing the attenuation of individual components within the IEC agar-TMM, were then summated and yielded attenuation values that accurately reproduced the attenuation of the IEC agar-TMM. This information forms a valuable resource for the future development of TMMs with acoustic properties similar to those of soft tissue at high frequencies.
组织模拟材料（TMMs）广泛应用于质量保证（QA）体模中，以评估超声扫描仪的性能。国际电工委员会（IEC）定义了高达10MHz的声学参数。为了制造一种在高频下能紧密模拟小动物软组织声学特性的TMM，需要对IEC琼脂-TMM配方中使用的每种单独成分的声学特性进行量化。本研究旨在评估IEC琼脂-TMM的总衰减系数是否为其每种成分衰减系数的线性总和。用IEC琼脂-TMM配方中不同成分组合制造了八批琼脂基材料。各混合物中使用的每种成分的百分比浓度与IEC配方中规定的相同。在12 - 50MHz的超声频率范围内测量了这些批次中每一批的衰减，并从其他批次的衰减值中减去琼脂成分的衰减值。然后将代表IEC琼脂-TMM中各个成分衰减的批次衰减值相加，得到的衰减值准确再现了IEC琼脂-TMM的衰减。这些信息为未来开发具有与高频软组织相似声学特性的TMM提供了宝贵资源。
