Investigating atherosclerotic plaque phantoms for ultrasound therapy

Biomimicking Atherosclerotic Vessels: A Relevant and (Yet) Sub-Explored Topic

“…For instance, an arterial atherosclerotic plaque phantom was developed to explore the potential of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in the treatment of atherosclerotic plaques [ 103 ]. This model comprised a biomimicking multicomponent plaque and a 3D-printed tube combining thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and copolyester (CPE) to mimic arterial walls.…”

“…The amount of plaque removal via the HIFU transducer (4 MHz) was evaluated visually using an X-ray system. A total of 27.1% of plaque phantom was destroyed using the small flat transducer in a slight period (30 s), which has validated the usefulness of this therapeutic technique in future clinical trials [ 103 ].…”

Inverse Finite Element Framework Combining Ultrasound Imaging and Inflation Testing of PVA Artery Phantoms

“…The challenge lies in the fact that carotid plaque specimens obtained from CEA procedures are often fragmented or cut longitudinally depending on the surgical approach, rendering pressurization highly challenging if not impossible (Renate W. Boekhoven et al, 2014). To this extent, the use of phantoms as vessel surrogates have many advantages: i) circumventing limited plaque tissue accessibility or availability, ii) enable rupture mechanism testing by offering complete control over material properties and heterogeneity (Sotiriou, Yiannakou and Damianou, 2022), and iii) allowing for validation of computational modelling approaches. One material of particular interest is polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).…”