Acrylic-based hydrogel phantom for in vitro ultrasound contrast agent characterization

Phantoms are commonly used to perform several tasks within the field of medical imaging and radiation therapy. A novel approach to the manufacture of polymeric phantom for tissue mimicking applications by means of stereolithography (SL) is presented. A water solution of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) and a blend of proprietary photoinitiators were used. An SL device was modified with a custom designed elevator- driven build table with the aim of reducing the material volume during the building process. The second step of this work was addressed to the manufacture of a prototype mimicking a simplified vascular system. The prototype was drawn using a computer- aided-design package and the resulting geometric data were used to drive the SL process leading finally to the fabrication a PEGDA phantom. A preliminary echographic study was also carried out to verify the phantom suitability for in in vitro ultrasound contrast agent characterization.