Thin film phantom for blood flow simulation

Abstract

The Thin Film Phantom is a new type of ultrasound resolution test object. It is comprised of a thin planar substrate that is acoustically matched to the surrounding media. Precisely located scatterers on the surface of the substrate generate echo signals. We show that by vibrating the substrate in a suitable manner, an echo signal may be generated which simulates bi-directional flow. We demonstrate that a vibration of low amplitude at frequency fo produces a Doppler spectral signal at fo and -fo, within the limits of aliasing. Furthermore, by driving the film with a bandlimited noise signal, we illustrate how a velocity distribution may be simulated. A time-varying flow velocity may be simulated by varying the noise bandwidth with time. Finally, using this technique we demonstrate a system that simulates an arterial flow pattern including its characteristic velocity distribution, in forward and reverse directions simultaneously.