QA Standard for High Frequency Probes

The CIRS series of ultrasound phantoms, unlike human subjects or random scannable materials, offers a reliable medium which contains specific, known test objects for repeatable qualitative assessment of ultrasound scanner performance over time.

At normal or room temperatures the Zerdine®¹ material found in the Near Field phantom will accurately simulate the ultrasound characteristics found in human tissue.

The Model 050 has a series of wire targets that will appear as bright dots or lines on the ultrasound image. These targets are made from nylon with a diameter of 0.1 mm. There are also two known volumes, a 10 mm combination cyst-like/hyperechoic mass and anechoic focal lesions embedded within the phantom. These “masses” are made from Zerdine® that has a different contrast and attenuation relative to the background material.

The Model 050 was designed to allow for assessment of uniformity, dead zone, depth of penetration, beam profile/focal zone/lateral response width, vertical distance measurement accuracy, axial resolution, lateral resolution, anechoic masses, high contrast masses, volumetric measurement accuracy, and focal lesion detectability.

¹ US Patent #5196343