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A Controllably Anisotropic Conductivity or Diffusion Phantom Constructed from Isotropic Layers

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Abstract

Phantoms with controllable and well-defined anisotropy are needed to test methods for imaging electrical anisotropy. We developed and tested a phantom that had properties similar to a homogeneous anisotropic conductive medium. The phantom was constructed with alternate slices of isotropic gel having different conductivities. The degree of anisotropy in the phantom could be varied easily by changing the relative conductivity of the two gels. We tested the stability of several phantoms and found their properties were maintained for approximately 8 h following construction. The phantom has application to electrical impedance tomography, magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography, EEG and ECG source imaging and diffusion tensor imaging.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by NIH grant R01EB-002389 to RJS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. J. Crayton Pruitt Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

    Rosalind J. Sadleir, Farida Neralwala, Tang Te & Aaron Tucker

Authors
  1. Rosalind J. Sadleir
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  2. Farida Neralwala
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  3. Tang Te
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  4. Aaron Tucker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rosalind J. Sadleir.

Appendix: Procedure for Making TX-151 Gels

Appendix: Procedure for Making TX-151 Gels

TX-151 gels suitable for use in these phantoms can be produced using the procedure below. The components are the same as those used in Mazzara et al.14 and Oh et al.,16 but quantities were adjusted to form a thicker gel. The original version of this formulation appears in Zhang.30 We measured the conductivity with x = 0 and 3 g and found the conductivities reported in Table 1 at 1 kHz.

  1. 1.

    Assemble ingredients in Table A.

    Table A Composition of TX-151 gels
    Full size table
  2. 2.

    Combine ingredients in a glass beaker and stir thoroughly using a glass stirrer (a handful of glass stirrers may be useful as the solution thickens).

  3. 3.

    Cover the solution using plastic film. Make some holes in the film to allow ventilation.

  4. 4.

    Microwave for 9 min (may vary with microwave). The solution is overheated if it begins bubbling or boiling. If so, allow to cool one minute before proceeding.

  5. 5.

    Carefully pour the hot mixture into the mold. Avoid mixing in air.

  6. 6.

    Cover the mold with plastic film and refrigerate for 4 h. The product is ready once it has solidified.

  7. 7.

    Wrap unused product with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.

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Sadleir, R.J., Neralwala, F., Te, T. et al. A Controllably Anisotropic Conductivity or Diffusion Phantom Constructed from Isotropic Layers. Ann Biomed Eng 37, 2522–2531 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-009-9799-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-009-9799-6

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