MATERIALS FOR SIMULATING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF BLOOD, VESSEL WALLS AND SURROUNDING TISSUES IN ULTRASOUND IMAGING

Objective: This paper analyzes materials for creating phantoms with optimal ultrasound characteristics that could be used to train ultrasonographers or to test and demonstrate the performance of new ultrasound imaging modalities. Materials and methods: A systematic search in Google Scholar (2022-2025) was performed using the keywords: “ultrasound”, “vessel”, “tissue-mimicking”, “phantom”, “vascular”. The sample included original scientific articles in English, excluding review articles, conference proceedings, books and dissertations. Results: The review included 15 studies, each of which ad- dressed aspects of vascular phantom creation for ultrasound imaging. Phantoms are made from materials such as agar-agar, gelatin, silicone, polyvinyl alcohol, etc. Some of the phantoms presented in the literature contain models of vessel walls. The materials considered have their advantages and disadvantages. Biodegradable materials have suitable acoustic characteristics but are short-lived. Silicones are more stable, but their properties are far from human tissues. Polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl chloride are promising due to their optimal acoustic performance and stability of materials that do not require special storage conditions. Conclusion: Since all materials have peculiarities, it is important for phantom designers to be aware of them and take them into account when selecting a substance for a particular vascular phantom design.