Hydrogel\nSystem with Independent Tailoring of Mechanics,\nCT, and US Contrasts for Affordable Medical Phantoms

Medical phantoms\nmimic aspects of procedures like computed tomography\n(CT), ultrasound (US) imaging, and surgical practices. However, the\nmaterials for current commercial phantoms are expensive and the fabrication\nwith these is complex and lacks versatility. Therefore, existing material\nsolutions are not suitable for creating patient-specific phantoms.\nWe present a novel and cost-effective material system (utilizing ubiquitous\nsodium alginate hydrogel and coconut fat) with independently and accurately\ntailorable CT, US, and mechanical properties. By varying the concentration\nof alginate, cross-linker, and coconut fat, the radiological parameters\nand the elastic modulus were adjusted independently in a wide range.\nThe independence was demonstrated by creating phantoms with features\nhidden in US, while visible in CT imaging and vice versa. This system\nis particularly beneficial in resource-scarce areas since the materials\nare cheap (<$ 1 USD/kg) and easy to obtain, offering realistic\nand versatile phantoms to practice surgeries and ultimately enhance\npatient care.