Advances in the Standards & Applied Sciences

Advances in the Standards & Applied Sciences

Design and Construction of a Low-Cost Multipurpose Phantom for Quality Control of Ultrasound Imaging

Document Type : Technical Note

Authors
Fatemeh Shojaei Arani 1
Ali Tavakoligolpaygani 2
Kamran Hassani 3
1 Islamic Azad University of Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
2 Biomedical Engineering, Research Group, Research Center of Technology and Engineering, Standard Research Institute, Karaj, Iran
3 School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Aeronautical University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
10.22034/asas.2026.580510.1100
Abstract
Periodic performance evaluation of ultrasound imaging systems is necessary to guarantee image quality and measurement accuracy in clinical practice. Nevertheless, commercial quality control phantoms are often costly and not widely accessible. This technical note describes the design and development of a low-cost, multipurpose tissue-mimicking phantom intended for routine quality control of ultrasound B-mode imaging systems. A compact, space-efficient phantom was constructed using a water-based tissue-mimicking material formulated from gelatin, agar, glycerin, and acoustic scatterers. Embedded targets were arranged to enable key standardized QC tests recommended in the guidelines, including dead-zone assessment, axial and lateral resolution, distance-measurement accuracy, image uniformity, and depth penetration. A simplified, repeatable measurement protocol was implemented with clinical ultrasound systems under fixed imaging conditions.
The proposed phantom has been shown to support multiple quality control tests within a single structure, making it a suitable candidate for routine system verification and operator training. Its low cost and straightforward fabrication provide a practical alternative to commercial phantoms, especially in resource-limited areas.
Keywords
Medical imaging
Ultrasound
Quality control
Multipurpose phantom
Subjects
  1. A. Tavakoli Golpaygani, "Why should we have a periodic safety and performance program for medical devices.," Biomedical Physics & Engineering, pp. 251-256, 2019.
  2. W. R. Hedrick, D. L. Hykes and D. E. Starchman, "Quality Control and Acceptance Testing," in Ultrasound Physics and Instrumentations, 1995, pp. 280-312.
  3. M. Wegner, E. Gargioni and D. Krause, "Classification of phantoms for medical imaging," Elsevier, pp. 1140-1145, 2023.
  4. A. A. Oglat, "Performance Evaluation of an Ultrasonic Imaging System Using Tissue-Mimicking Phantoms for Quality Assurance," Biomimetics, pp. 1-28, 2022.
  5. H. M. Pierce, B. Norfolk and VA, "Ultrasound Phantoms: B-Mode, Doppler and Others," AAPM, 2010.
  6. W. Li, B. Belmont, J. M. Greve, A. B. Manders, B. C. Downey, X. Zhang, Z. Xu, D. Guo and A. Shih, "Polyvinyl chloride as a multimodal tissue-mimicking material with tuned mechanical and medical imaging properties," Medical Physics, pp. 5577-5592, 2016.
  7. A. Jawli, W. Aldehani, G. Nabi and Z. Huang, "Tissue-Mimicking Material Fabrication and Properties for Multiparametric Ultrasound Phantoms: A Systematic Review," Bioengineering, pp. 1-16, 2024.
  8. M. Mencarelli, L. Puggelli, A. Virga, R. Furferi and Y. Volpe, "Acoustic velocity and stability of tissue mimicking echogenic materials for ultrasound training phantoms," Materials for life sciences, pp. 6509-6524, 2024.
  9. T. Evans and P. Hoskins, "Quality assurance," in diognastic Ultrasound Physics and Equipment, Cambridge University Press, 2010, pp. 142-154.
  10. E. J. Boote, "Phantoms for Ultrasound Experimentation and Quality Control," in The Phantoms of Medical and Health Physics Devices for Research and Development, Springer, 2014, pp. 159-179.
  11. J. A. Zagzebski and J. M. Kofler, "Ultrasound Equipment Quality Assurance," in Quality Management in The Imaging Sciences, Sixth Edition, Elsevier, 2019, pp. 286-304.
  12. E. L. Madsen, B. S. Garra, J. A. Zagzebski, T. Wilson, N. Hangiandreou, D. Tradup, M. Ziskin and Z. F. Lu, AIUM Quality Assurance Manual for Gray Scale Ultrasound Scanners, AIUM Technical Standards Committee, 2014.
  13. J. M. Kofler and Jr, "Quality Assurance of Ultrasound Imagers: Procedures, Expectations, and Philosophies," AAPM 43rd Annual Meeting, pp. 1-37, 2001.
  14. H. Grazhdani, E. David, O. Ventura Spagnolo, F. Buemi, A. Perri, N. Orsogna, S. Gigli and R. Chimenz, "Quality assurance of ultrasound systems: current status and review of literature," Springer, pp. 173-182, 2018.
  15. Ewa Fabiszewska, Katarzyna Pasicz, Iwona Grabska, Witold Skrzyński, Wioletta Ślusarczyk-Kacprzyk and Wojciech Bulski, "Evaluation of Imaging Parameters of Ultrasound Scanners: Baseline for Future Testing," polish journal of radiology, pp. 773-782, 2017.
Advances in the Standards & Applied Sciences
Volume 3, Issue 4
Summer 2025
Pages 150-157