Economical Sponge Phantom for Teaching, Understanding, and Researching A‐ and B‐Line Reverberation Artifacts in Lung Ultrasound

Abstract

This project evaluated a low-cost sponge phantom setup for its capability to teach and study A- and B-line reverberation artifacts known from lung ultrasound and to numerically simulate sound wave interaction with the phantom using a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) model. Both A- and B-line artifacts were reproducible on B-mode ultrasound imaging as well as in the FDTD-based simulation. The phantom was found to be an easy-to-set up and economical tool for understanding, teaching, and researching A- and B-line artifacts occurring in lung ultrasound. The FDTD method-based simulation was able to reproduce the artifacts and provides intuitive insight into the underlying physics.

Determination of a potential quantitative measure of the state of the lung using lung ultrasound spectroscopy

“…In the literature, alternative experimental models able to generate B-lines have been reported. Differently than the model presented in this study these models were based on gelatin phantoms containing large air bubbles (mm size) obtained by manual injection of air by means of a syringe 21 , sponges 22 , 23 and foams 24 .…”

Point-of-care lung ultrasound in neonatology: classification into descriptive and functional applications

“…Models have been created with plastic phantoms or a wet sponge with or without pork ribs, but also simply using a hand with a wet foam. [94][95][96][97]…”

Effect of a Thin Fluid Layer on Surface Wave Speed Measurements: A Lung Phantom Study

“…A lung phantom model was constructed, for which the lung tissues and the pleural fluid layer were modeled by sponges and a thin layer of US transmission gel. Low‐cost sponges have been used in multiple studies to model a lung . The lung has a spongy porous structure; sponges, as demonstrated by Blüthgen et al, can reproduce A‐ and B‐line artifacts observed in lung US images.…”

“…Low‐cost sponges have been used in multiple studies to model a lung . The lung has a spongy porous structure; sponges, as demonstrated by Blüthgen et al, can reproduce A‐ and B‐line artifacts observed in lung US images. A polyurethane sponge was reported to be similar to a lung in acoustic impedance, porosity, sound velocity, etc, by Soldati et al Cellulose sponge pieces likewise were used by Molinari et al for pulmonary edema modeling.…”