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How to Make a Cheap and Simple Prostate Phantom
Author(s) -
Wilkin Richard,
Hamm Rebecca
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.7863/jum.2010.29.7.1151
Subject(s) - medicine , library science , computer science
Received February 16, 2010, from the Broadgreen Urology Center, Royal Liverpool University National Health Service Trust, Liverpool, England. Revision requested February 21, 2010. Revised manuscript accepted for publication April 8, 2010. Address correspondence to Richard Wilkin, MBChB, Attn Denise Roberts, Broadgreen Urology Center, Royal Liverpool University National Health Service Trust, Liverpool L14 3LB, England. E-mail: richardwilkin@doctors.net.uk ransrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the prostate is the most common ultrasound-guided procedure performed by urologists, with more than 20,000 procedures performed per year.1 Learning how to perform the procedure often involves commercially available prostate biopsy phantoms. These phantoms range in price from £200 to £2000 (approximately $295–$2950), and not all allow biopsies to be taken. A prostate phantom that is inexpensive and easy to produce but gives an accurate sonographic appearance of the prostate and surrounding soft tissue would be an asset to training. We have developed such a phantom. It is made using basic ingredients that are widely available at any large supermarket, and the steps to follow are described below (Appendix). A soft tissue imitating mixture was adapted from that devised by Fornage.2 By investigation, it was found that a combination of cooked beets and corned beef gave the best sonographic appearance of a prostate, both showing the zonal anatomy and being of an appropriate size (Figures 1 and 2). The corned beef could be replaced by more gelatin mixture, but this would not provide as clear a sonographic appearance, and the corned beef part of the “prostate” gives more information when the biopsy is taken. The phantom is best stored refrigerated and can be kept for approximately 2 weeks. There are many potential applications for this prostate phantom. The model can be used to practice measuring prostate volume. It can also be used to practice taking prostate biopsies. Biopsying the prostate is an invasive and often painful procedure. An inexpensive model that could be used by trainees to hone their technique of local anesthetic infiltration and subsequent biopsy would aid learning and improve the experience of patients.