Egg white-based ultrasound blood mimicking phantom

An egg white-based blood mimicking fluid (BMF) was developed and characterized as a blood coagulation surrogate for the acoustical and thermal evaluation of therapeutic ultrasound, especially high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) devices. Physical properties, including coagulation temperature, frequency-dependent attenuation, sound speed, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity, were measured as a function of temperature (20–95 oC). The fluid viscosity was quantified at room and body temperature. With the addition of Nylon particles in the solution, the backscattering coefficient of the BMF was measured and compared before and after a complete thermal coagulation for diagnostic imaging purpose. For a 30 s thermal exposure, the egg white-based BMF (3 mm thickness) started to denature at 65 oC and coagulate into an elastic gel at 85 oC. The coagulation temperature can be lowered by adding a small amount of the acid solution to the BMF. HIFU exposure on the BMF was conducted using a flow loop phantom system to simulate and understand the HIFU ablation process and coagulation dynamics. These blood mimicking properties make this egg white-based ultrasound blood phantom a potential tool for pre-clinical bench testing of medical ultrasound devices.