A method for mimicking tumour tissue in brain ex-vivo ultrasound for research application and clinical training

Background

Intraoperative ultrasound is becoming a common tool in neurosurgery. However, effective simulation methods are limited. Current, commercial, and homemade phantoms lack replication of anatomical correctness and texture complexity of brain and tumour tissue in ultrasound images.

Methods

We utilise ex-vivo brain tissue, as opposed to synthetic materials, to achieve realistic echogenic complexity and anatomical correctness. Agar, at 10–20% concentrate, is injected into brain tissue to simulate the tumour mass. A commercially available phantom was purchased for benchmarking.

Results

Qualitative analysis is performed by experienced professionals, measuring the impact of the addition of agar and comparing it to the commercial phantom. Overall, the use of ex vivo tissue was deemed more accurate and representative, compared to the synthetic materials-based phantom, as it provided good visualisation of real brain anatomy and good contrast within tissue. The agar tumour correctly produced a region of higher echogenicity with slight diffusion along the margin and expected interaction with the neighbouring anatomy.

Conclusion

The proposed method for creating tumour-mimicking tissue in brain tissue is inexpensive, accurate, and simple. Beneficial for both the trainee clinician and the researcher. A total of 576 annotated images are made publicly available upon request.