Skull-Mimicking Phantoms With Tunable Properties for Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging

Non-invasive transcranial ultrasound imaging for older children and adults is constrained by acoustic effects caused by cranial bone in humans. There is very significant acoustic degradation of wave propagation through the cranium, particularly the diploe layer which is characterized by high porosit...

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Main Authors: Loic Saint-Martin, Kamran Avanaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10982059/
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author Loic Saint-Martin
Kamran Avanaki
author_facet Loic Saint-Martin
Kamran Avanaki
author_sort Loic Saint-Martin
collection DOAJ
description Non-invasive transcranial ultrasound imaging for older children and adults is constrained by acoustic effects caused by cranial bone in humans. There is very significant acoustic degradation of wave propagation through the cranium, particularly the diploe layer which is characterized by high porosity. Due to limited access to human skull samples for transcranial ultrasound imaging studies, the authors propose an epoxy resin-based skull-shaped phantom. This phantom mimic the multiple layers (inner/outer tables and the diploe region), enabling the creation of samples with realistic thickness and porosity variability. Appropriate material, replicating human bone composition, and poppy seeds, simulating diploe porosity, are incorporated. Using the data generated in this study, we developed a formula that allows inputting the desired acoustic properties of the skull to obtain the optimal material ratios for skull construction. The experimental evaluation setup involves acoustic transmission measurements and mechanical characteristic assessments. Results show that the developed phantoms exhibit comparable properties to actual human skulls. This research contributes to understanding and overcoming challenges in transcranial ultrasound imaging, paving the way for advancements in diagnostic tools by proposing accurate alternatives to human skulls for system design and development.
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spelling doaj-art-0dc83a88531f4a2e86a120ffefcf450b2025-08-20T02:15:16ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113795037951510.1109/ACCESS.2025.356638810982059Skull-Mimicking Phantoms With Tunable Properties for Transcranial Ultrasound ImagingLoic Saint-Martin0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3449-2694Kamran Avanaki1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1437-8456Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USADepartment of Dermatology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USANon-invasive transcranial ultrasound imaging for older children and adults is constrained by acoustic effects caused by cranial bone in humans. There is very significant acoustic degradation of wave propagation through the cranium, particularly the diploe layer which is characterized by high porosity. Due to limited access to human skull samples for transcranial ultrasound imaging studies, the authors propose an epoxy resin-based skull-shaped phantom. This phantom mimic the multiple layers (inner/outer tables and the diploe region), enabling the creation of samples with realistic thickness and porosity variability. Appropriate material, replicating human bone composition, and poppy seeds, simulating diploe porosity, are incorporated. Using the data generated in this study, we developed a formula that allows inputting the desired acoustic properties of the skull to obtain the optimal material ratios for skull construction. The experimental evaluation setup involves acoustic transmission measurements and mechanical characteristic assessments. Results show that the developed phantoms exhibit comparable properties to actual human skulls. This research contributes to understanding and overcoming challenges in transcranial ultrasound imaging, paving the way for advancements in diagnostic tools by proposing accurate alternatives to human skulls for system design and development.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10982059/Aberrationacousticcranial boneskull phantomtranscranialultrasound
spellingShingle Loic Saint-Martin
Kamran Avanaki
Skull-Mimicking Phantoms With Tunable Properties for Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging
IEEE Access
Aberration
acoustic
cranial bone
skull phantom
transcranial
ultrasound
title Skull-Mimicking Phantoms With Tunable Properties for Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging
title_full Skull-Mimicking Phantoms With Tunable Properties for Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging
title_fullStr Skull-Mimicking Phantoms With Tunable Properties for Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging
title_full_unstemmed Skull-Mimicking Phantoms With Tunable Properties for Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging
title_short Skull-Mimicking Phantoms With Tunable Properties for Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging
title_sort skull mimicking phantoms with tunable properties for transcranial ultrasound imaging
topic Aberration
acoustic
cranial bone
skull phantom
transcranial
ultrasound
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10982059/
work_keys_str_mv AT loicsaintmartin skullmimickingphantomswithtunablepropertiesfortranscranialultrasoundimaging
AT kamranavanaki skullmimickingphantomswithtunablepropertiesfortranscranialultrasoundimaging