Patent US5625137A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5625137A
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Very low scatter liquid and solid tissue mimicking material for ultrasound phantoms and method of making the same
Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
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Filing: 1995-05-25
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Granted: 1997-04-29
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Expires: 2015-05-25
Abstract
Abstract A tissue mimicking material for use in ultrasound scanner phantoms has a very low acoustic backscatter coefficient. The tissue mimicking material has the ultrasonic speed and attenuation characteristics of human tissue, with a backscatter coefficient of about 40 dB below that of human liver tissue. The tissue mimicking material may be in liquid or solid form. A component in both the liquid and solid forms is a filtered aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and emulsion of fatty acid esters. This mixture may be based on a combination of evaporated whole milk and water. The material also includes a hydroxy compound, such as n-propanol, to control the ultrasonic speed of propagation through the material. A preservative from bacterial invasion, such as thimerosal, is also preferably included in the material. The solid form of the material contains the same material as the liquid form, with a very pure gel-forming material included to form a solid material. The tissue mimicking material may be included in an ultrasound phantom container with solid scattering particles and/or test objects incorporated therein. The use of scattering particles allows a very broad range of relative backscatter levels to be achieved in ultrasound test object phantoms incorporating the tissue mimicking material of the invention.
Inventors
- 👤 Ernest L. Madsen
- 👤 Gary R. Frank
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 14:18
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B8/00; A61B8/58; A61B8/587; A61B8/08; G; G01; G01N; G01N29/00; G01N29/22; G01N29/30; G01N2291/00; G01N2291/01; G01N2291/011; G01N2291/015; G01N2291/02; G01N2291/024; G01N2291/02416; G01N2291/02475; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T436/00; Y10T436/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
32 words
A low scatter ultrasound tissue mimicking material comprising: an aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and an emulsion of fatty acid esters mixed with a hydroxy compound soluble in water.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
32 words
A low scatter ultrasound tissue mimicking material comprising: an aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and an emulsion of fatty acid esters mixed with a hydroxy compound soluble in water.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 1 wherein the aqueous mixture is filtered.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 1 wherein the hydroxy compound is n-propanol.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 1 additionally comprising a preservative mixed with the aqueous mixture and the hydroxy compound.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 4 wherein the preservative is thimerosal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 1 additionally comprising a gel-forming material mixed with the aqueous mixture and the hydroxy compound.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 6 wherein the gel-forming material is selected from the group consisting of very pure gelatin, polyacrylamide gel, and agarose.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 6 additionally comprising solid scattering particles in the mixture.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 8 wherein the solid scattering particles are glass beads.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
A low scatter ultrasound tissue mimicking material comprising: an aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and an emulsion of fatty acid esters mixed with a hydroxy compounds soluble in water and wherein the aqueous mixture is made from evaporated whole milk and water.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
A low scatter ultrasound tissue mimicking material comprising: an aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and an emulsion of fatty acid esters mixed with a hydroxy compounds soluble in water and wherein the aqueous mixture is made from evaporated whole milk and water.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
44 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 10 wherein the evaporated milk is approximately 60% by volume of the tissue mimicking material, water is approximately 37% by volume of the tissue mimicking material, and n-propanol is approximately 3% by volume of the tissue mimicking material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 10 comprising additionally thimerosal in an amount approximately 0.1% by weight of the tissue mimicking material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
A low scatter tissue mimicking material, comprising a mixture of evaporated whole milk, deionized water, agarose, and n-propanol.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
A low scatter tissue mimicking material, comprising a mixture of evaporated whole milk, deionized water, agarose, and n-propanol.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 13 additionally comprising thimerosal added to the mixture as a preservative.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 13 additionally comprising solid scattering particles in the mixture.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
The tissue mimicking material of claim 15 wherein the solid scattering particles are glass beads.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
83 words
An ultrasound phantom for use with an ultrasound scanner, comprising: (a) a container having a bottom and walls, margins of the walls remote from the bottom defining a window, which is closed by an ultrasound-transmitting window cover; and (b) a phantom body contained within the container and including a low scatter tissue mimicking material, comprising an aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and an emulsion of fatty acid esters mixed with a hydroxy compound soluble in water and a gel-forming material.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
83 words
An ultrasound phantom for use with an ultrasound scanner, comprising: (a) a container having a bottom and walls, margins of the walls remote from the bottom defining a window, which is closed by an ultrasound-transmitting window cover; and (b) a phantom body contained within the container and including a low scatter tissue mimicking material, comprising an aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and an emulsion of fatty acid esters mixed with a hydroxy compound soluble in water and a gel-forming material.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
12 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 17 wherein the aqueous mixture is filtered.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
12 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 17 wherein the hydroxy compound is n-propanol.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
14 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 17 wherein the phantom body additionally includes a preservative.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
11 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 20 wherein the preservative is thimerosal.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
27 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 17 wherein the gel-forming material is selected from the group of gel-forming materials consisting of very pure gelatin, polyacrylamide gel, or agarose.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
15 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 17 wherein the phantom body additionally includes solid scattering particles.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
14 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 23 wherein the solid scattering particles are glass beads.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
53 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 17 wherein the phantom body additionally includes a multiplicity of testing spheres having a testing sphere ultrasonic speed, attenuation coefficient, and backscatter coefficient, at least one of which is different from a corresponding tissue mimicking material ultrasonic speed, attenuation coefficient, and backscatter coefficient of the tissue mimicking material.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
22 words
The ultrasound phantom of claim 25 wherein the testing spheres are located within the phantom body in a random and unpredictable array.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
95 words
An ultrasound phantom for use with an ultrasound scanner, comprising: (a) a container having a bottom and walls, margins of the walls remote from the bottom defining a window, which is closed by an ultrasound-transmitting window cover; and (b) a phantom body contained within the container and including a low scatter tissue mimicking material, comprising an aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and an emulsion of fatty acid esters mixed with a hydroxy compound soluble in water and gel-forming material and wherein the aqueous mixture is made from evaporated whole milk and water.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
95 words
An ultrasound phantom for use with an ultrasound scanner, comprising: (a) a container having a bottom and walls, margins of the walls remote from the bottom defining a window, which is closed by an ultrasound-transmitting window cover; and (b) a phantom body contained within the container and including a low scatter tissue mimicking material, comprising an aqueous mixture of large organic water soluble molecules and an emulsion of fatty acid esters mixed with a hydroxy compound soluble in water and gel-forming material and wherein the aqueous mixture is made from evaporated whole milk and water.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-04-28 | 2000-10-28 | 2001-04-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-04-28 | 2004-10-28 | 2005-04-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-04-28 | 2008-10-28 | 2009-04-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |